Beautiful Aye Aye - An endangered species
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April 20, 2005—Making his public debut last week at the Bristol Zoo Gardens, Kintana is the United Kingdom's first captive-bred aye-aye lemur—and only the second in history to be reared by humans (his mother wasn't very motherly).
Even at this tender age, Kintana brandishes outlandish adaptations for survival in lemurs' only native home, the African island of Madagascar. In the forest the aye-aye's batlike ears can detect insect larvae squirming inside trees. A bark-breaking bite from tough incisors and a subsequent probe with a long, bony second digit seals the meal.
That adaptation is more curse than blessing for some of these tree dwellers, which are beaten by Madagascan villagers who see the crooked claw as a harbinger of death. Farmers too get their licks, persecuting the world's largest nocturnal primates for their night raids on sweet crops like coconuts and sugarcane. Also, some Madagascans hunt the 4.5-pound (2-kilogram) aye-ayes for their meat.
But the aye-aye's greatest threat is deforestation, which is largely responsible for its listing as endangered on the World Conservation Union's Red List of Threatened Species—and which may one day make captive births crucial to the species's survival.
—Ted Chamberlain -
aye ayes are cool as heck
they tap the branches and hear for grubs which have bored into the wood.. then they use their long finger to dig it out...
amazing little critters -
Looks horrible in this pic.
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Their fingers are really long!
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Love does not have to say "you're ugly".Originally posted by wonderamazement:Looks horrible in this pic. 
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i think it's adorable
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This is an adult aye aye. Not so bad looking.
Aye-ayes can be found only on the island of Madagascar. These rare animals may not look like primates at first glance, but they are related to chimpanzees, apes, and humans.
Aye-ayes are dark brown or black and are distinguished by a bushy tail that is larger than their body. They also feature big eyes, slender fingers, and large, sensitive ears. Aye-ayes have pointed claws on all their fingers and toes except for their opposable big toes, which enable them to dangle from branches.
Aye-ayes spend their lives in rain forest trees and avoid coming down to earth. They are nocturnal, and spend the day curled up in a ball-like nest of leaves and branches. The nests appear as closed spheres with single entry holes, situated in the forks of large trees.
While perched aloft, the aye-aye taps on trees with its long middle finger and listens for wood-boring insect larvae moving under the bark. It employs the same middle finger to fish them out. The digit is also useful for scooping the flesh out of coconuts and other fruits that supplement the animal's insect diet.
Many people native to Madagascar consider the aye-aye an omen of ill luck. For this reason they often have been killed on sight. Such hunting, coupled with habitat destruction, have made the aye-aye critically endangered. Today they are protected by law.
Fast Facts
Type: Mammal
Diet: Omnivore
Average lifespan in captivity: 20 years
Size: Head and body, 14 to 17 in (36 to 43 cm); Tail, 22 to 24 in (56 to 61 cm)
Weight: 4 lbs (2 kg)
Did you know? Aye-ayes are the only primates thought to use echolocation to find prey.
Protection status: Endangered -
just woke up?
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Unique , Small Is Freaky Big Is Cute