The Edge · EN Endangered
Aye-aye
Daubentonia madagascariensis
It taps on wood, listens with oversized ears, and then digs out grubs with a skeletal middle finger that can rotate in its socket. It is the only primate known to hunt like this.
EN · Endangered
Overview
The aye-aye is a nocturnal lemur from Madagascar and the world's largest nocturnal primate — a creature so strange that when Europeans first described it, they filed it as a rodent.
primatemadagascarnocturnalhas merch
Field data
| IUCN status | EN · Endangered |
|---|---|
| Population | Estimated 1,000–10,000 in the wild |
| Trend | decreasing |
| Last assessed | 2018 |
| Class / Order | Mammalia · Primates |
| Family | Daubentoniidae |
| Size | ~36–43 cm body, plus a longer bushy tail |
| Lifespan | ~20 years in captivity |
| Range | Madagascar |
Why it matters
Evolutionary distinction
- Uses 'percussive foraging' — tapping bark up to eight times a second and listening for hollow chambers where larvae hide.
- Has an elongated, thin, ball-jointed middle finger used to fish grubs out of wood — a tool no other primate possesses.
- Grows rodent-like, ever-growing incisors, which fooled early naturalists into classifying it as a rodent.
- Is the sole surviving member of its entire family, Daubentoniidae — its nearest relative, the giant aye-aye, is extinct.
Record
Timeline
- 1782First described by Western science; misclassified as a rodent for decades.
- 1933Feared extinct as forests were cleared.
- 1957Rediscovered; conservation efforts begin.
From the collection
Take one home
plush
Aye-aye plush
Museum-grade plush from the Aye-aye plate.
Add to cart →
art print
Aye-aye art print
Museum-grade art print from the Aye-aye plate.
Add to cart →
Fulfilled on demand. Connect your Fourthwall / print-on-demand store to make these live.
Common questions
FAQ
- Why does the aye-aye have a long middle finger?
- It uses the thin, ball-jointed middle finger to fish grubs out of wood after locating them by tapping on bark and listening for hollow chambers — a foraging method unique among primates.
- Is the aye-aye endangered?
- Yes. The IUCN lists the aye-aye as Endangered, with an estimated 1,000–10,000 individuals remaining, threatened mainly by habitat loss and killing driven by local superstition.