World's Creepiest Animal
World's Creepiest Animal
Daubentonia madagascariensis
1. The aye- aye is related to monkeys and humans.
2. Venture to the primate display and you can find this peculiar creature with big eyes, bat-like ears and a spooky-looking long middle finger.
3. Huge “gremlin” eyes sit within the Aye-aye’s ferretlike face, while its long and shaggy coat of white-tipped dark hairs give it a rather unkempt appearance. The paler face, with dark rings circling the eyes, is topped with huge black batlike ears capable of independent rotation.
4. The animal’s total length is almost doubled by the big, bushy tail, which is similar to a squirrel’s, the hairs on which are the longest found in any prosimian.
5. A third eyelid (yet another feature that is unique among primates) protects this primate’s eyes from the flying debris.
6. Young Aye-ayes spend much time learning the percussive foraging technique, the first few clumsy attempts of which are made at around 10 weeks old. When an Aye-aye is eating juicy grubs or coconuts, the long finger is used to rapidly scoop out liquid contents.
7. Aye-ayes often hang upside down to groom, with the third finger being used to clean the eyes, ears, and nose.
8. Although Aye-ayes traditionally have been described as solitary, they actually live in a social matrix, communicating mostly through vocal and olfactory means. Up to four Aye-ayes have been observed feeding near each other.
9. The Aye Aye is a primate from the rainforests of Madagascar. Here it lives in the trees feeding on beetle grubs within their branches. And by within the trees’ branches.
10. The long middle finger is their route to feeding on such tasty treats. An Aye-Aye uses this finger to tap the tree. Where it is hollow, the animal listens out for beetle grubs. It then gnaws a hole in the wood and uses its long finger to pull the grubs out.
12. Its peculiar features have evolved to fit a specialized ecological niche usually occupied by woodpeckers and squirrels, both of which are absent from Madagascar.
13. They sleep during the day in round nests made of twigs high in the trees. Being nocturnal animals, Aye Ayes have supersensitive ears for picking up even the slightest sounds.
14. To gnaw through the wood they have teeth that grow continuously, like a squirrel or mouse. With its weird teeth, long finger and huge ears it is a very odd looking animal.
15. In its Madagascan home, the Aye-Aye has been seen as a symbol of doom. It would be killed on sight for fear of it bringing death and bad luck to those who looked at it.
16. This, along with the loss of rainforest habitats, have threatened the survival of this unique animal.
17. Its reputation as a portent of death is not helped by its taste for coconuts and sugar cane, which brings it into conflict with farmers. In 1935, the Aye aye was declared extinct, only to be rediscovered in 1957.
18. Because of its strange appearance, it is considered one of the most distinctive mammals on earth.
20. Aye-ayes fill the ecological niche of woodpeckers which are absent from Madagascar.
21. When moving on the ground, aye-ayes raise their clawed fingers so they don’t damage their delicate fingers. This results in a strange, clumsy gait.
22. The name “aye-aye” may be derived from the “hai-hai” vocalization they make when fleeing from danger.
23. Aye-ayes were originally classified as rodents because of their continuously growing incisors.
24. An aye–aye gets a home from a hollow tree and the tree gets a termite free life.
25. However, there are now protected areas of rainforest in Madagascar which, along with breeding programs, will hopefully help protect this species from extinction.
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