Aye-aye : the rarest of lemurs

Aye-aye : the rarest of lemurs. It is not only the largest nocturnal primate in the world, but it is also one of the most unique.

It is the only species of its kind Daubentonia, who himself is the sole member of the Daubentonid family. Strange and surprising lemur with ears of the bat, the bristles of the wild boar, monkey's hands and fox's tail, aye-aye is considered vulnerable to extinction IUCN.

For visitors to Madagascar, lemurs are the biggest travel attractions. Like many other species of the Big Island, they are endemic. They are actually found only here and on a few small neighbouring islands.

Among these lemurs, Aye-aye is one of the strangest, the best known and rarest nocturnal species.

Aye-aye : a very particular primate

Aye-aye is a primate that has a lot of peculiarity. It has many derivative characters and quite singular. He has a rather unusual appearance. Its incisors are reminiscent of rodents, its ears those of bats and its tail that of squirrels. The third finger of his hand is extremely long.

It measures 75 to 90 cm long, whose 44 to 53 for the tail. And it weighs between 02 to 3 kg. It is the only primate that has 18 Teeth. Indeed, species from the sub-order strepsirrhini, aye-aye is part of, generally own 36 Teeth.

In general, aye-aye is an animal lonely and nocturnal. It is very discreet and difficult to observe.

Aye-aye in Malagasy culture

Aye-aye holds a very special place in the bestiary Malagasy. Multiple legends run on this nocturnal animal.

The number of individuals of the species has fallen in recent decades. Yet, the myth of the evil animal has always been preserved until today, passed down from generation to generation. Indeed, Malagasy consider it bad luck if it appears in or around homes. According to them, he possesses powers of witchcraft thanks to his excessive middle finger, used by soothsayers.

Aye-aye : the rarest of lemurs, in great danger of extinction

This extraordinary species was the subject of many beliefs that are still relevant. And these contribute to its scarcity. Considered "Fady", he is persecuted.

It was even thought that they had disappeared in 1933, but they were rediscovered in 1957. En 2014, its state of conservation has been changed as being in danger of extinction.

Habitat loss is the most serious threat to these lemurs, as with most other primates for that matter. The other reason is that the locals think it's too weird, and that he also carries bad luck. According to a local legend, if an aye-aye points its long major at a person, this person will be cursed and sentenced to death. And the only way to end this curse would be to kill the ayes-ayes as soon as possible.

Aye-aye is the first Malagasy species to be protected by WWF since 1963. Let's protect these innocent species ! …

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