Accolades for Aye-Ayes

I promised the bizarre and what better way to start off my blog than with one of the strangest-looking creatures on earth – the aye-aye.  A few years ago I had a job interview at Duke University.  I didn't get the job, but while I was there I got to visit a place I'd read about and was fascinated by - the Duke Lemur Center. (How I would have loved to work THERE, but my interview was for a job in their development office.)  The Center is one of the few places in the world that I know of where aye-ayes live in captivity, and has the largest captive population.  Our Center tour guide approached a somewhat darkened room, and this is the face our group saw looking back at us.

 

Source: Duke Lemur Center

Were you thinking he looks kind of familiar?

Source:  Lucasfilms

Hmmm.

The guide on the tour told a great story about their aye-aye, Norman.  Aye-ayes have a specialized longer middle finger used for tapping on trees to find hollow areas where grubs may be hiding.  It then uses its ever-growing incisors to chew away at the bark, and use that middle finger to probe inside and get the grub out.  The building where the lemurs are housed is made of cement block, and, of course, cement blocks have a hollow center.  Can you tell where this is going?  Exactly!  They had to put up metal plates in the aye-aye living area so they couldn’t dig their way out of the building.  That middle finger is also very handy for digging out the meat of coconuts.

Aye-ayes (pronounced eye-eye) are in the lemur family and lemurs are only found in Madagascar, an island off the eastern coast of Africa.  While they might look like they’re more related to raccoons or squirrels (or Jedi masters), lemurs are primates.  Aye-ayes are the largest nocturnal primate (hence those big eyes) and live in the rain forest canopy.  They are a threatened species due to not only habitat loss, but also because of their reputation with the local Malagasy people.  Because of their weird appearance, the majority of superstitious locals think aye-ayes bring evil and death and are sometimes killed on sight.  A little good news – for that same reason they are not hunted for food.  More good news is that there are 16 protected areas where aye-ayes live in Madagascar.

Of all the lemurs I saw that day at the Center, Norman definitely stole my heart.  How could you not love a face like that!

Links to more information on aye-ayes and other lemurs:
Duke Lemur Center

Primate Info Net, National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin – Madison

Because lemurs are indigenous to Madagascar, there are many lemur species that are also endangered.  There are many conservation organizations that are working to prevent these wonderful creatures from becoming extinct.  The Duke Lemur Center supports some conservation projects.  Here are a few more:

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

Conservation International
The Wildlife Conservation Society

Madagascar Fauna Group