Whitehead

Laura Whitehead
Clint Buffington
English 2010
17 February 2016
Madagascars Woodpecker
Madagascar is home to many exotic species. One strange creature that is native to the
island of Madagascar is the Daubentonia Madagascariensis, more commonly known as the ayeaye. According to an online animal encyclopedia, A-Z Animals, the name aye-aye is believed to
come from the startling noise people make when seeing one of these uncanny creatures (Aye
Aye, Daubentonia). An article from the Pacific Standard titled They Aye-Aye and the Finger of
Death written by Jason Bittel states that aye-ayes are part of the lemur family and are
considered the worlds most unusual primate. Chris Smith, an education specialist at the Duke
Lemur Center, says [t]he aye-aye is the lemur that shouldnt be. Smith expands on this
statement by saying [i]t doesnt look like a lemur. It doesnt necessarily act like a lemur, but it
ends up being one of the most fascinating primates in Madagascar (Bittel).
According to an article found in the National Geographic, aye-ayes are omnivores whose
diet consists of fruits, insects, and larvae. They are the largest nocturnal mammals in the world,
ranging from about four to six pounds in weight and twelve to fifteen inches in length. Most of
their day is spent lounging in their spherical nests located high up in the treetops. The article
goes on to state that aye-ayes roam from nest to nest spending no more than two days in one
before moving on to the next one. Numerous aye-aye nests can be found in one territory due to
their frequent relocation. Up to six nests have been found in one tree. This species has a life span
of ten to twenty-three years long. National Geographic also reported that aye-ayes have recently

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been added to the list of near threatened species and are considered one of Madagascars most
endangered animals by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. In fact, they were
once thought to be extinct from the 1930s to about 1957 (Aye-Ayes).
An article written by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust says that aye-ayes can be
recognized by their big bushy tails, enormous eyes, massive ears, and extremely long, slender
fingers (Aye-Aye, Aye-Aye). A-Z Animals reports that most of these features provide unique
functions for these animals that help them with survival. For example, the third finger is
opposable and has a double-jointed tip and a pointed claw, which serves two main purposes. The
first benefit of this feature is that it can be used to tap on trees in order to find insects or larvae
hidden under the wood. A-Z Animals continues on to talk about the second benefit that comes
from having this long middle digit. It can remove insects or larvae from openings carved by their
endlessly growing teeth (Aye-Aye, Daubentonia).
National Geographic states that aye-ayes find their food by using echolocation. They use
their tremendously sensitive ears to listen as they tap on trees to find the insects burrowing
beneath the bark. Once the aye-aye has located its potential food, it uses its sharp, razor-like teeth
to scrape away a hole in the bark. It then inserts its bony middle digit into the hole to fish around
for its meal. Once located it uses its specialized claw to retrieve its well deserved food (AyeAyes). An article written by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust compares aye-ayes to
woodpeckers. The article says that aye-ayes are sometimes referred to as Madagascars
Woodpeckers because of the similarities between their fingers and a woodpeckers beak, since,
both are used to tap on trees and extract bugs for eating. (Aye-Aye, Aye-Aye)
Bittel reported that aye-ayes are considered a near threatened species. This is due to
shrinking habitats and a local superstition. Bittel continues to say that Malagasy and Sakalava

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people believe aye-ayes to be an omen of death and a symbol of ill will. If an aye-aye points its
long, creepy finger in your direction it is said that you will shortly be lying motionless in a grave.
Some natives tell eerie tales of aye-ayes creeping into their windows at night and slowly picking
away at the hearts of those sleeping with its long, crooked, middle finger. Bittel concludes that
the only way to prevent death in both of these situations is to immediately terminate an aye-aye
when spotted. Such stories as these have caused a fear and ill will towards these harmless
creatures. Many villagers will immediately kill any aye-aye they see in order to avoid this curse
of death. Unfortunately, due to their tame nature aye-ayes will occasionally approach villagers,
which usually results in their slaughter (Bittel).
Later in the article, Bittel writes that many graveyards in Madagascar are vastly covered
with canarium trees. These trees produce a type of nut that is very appealing to aye-ayes. Many
aye-ayes will gather in graveyards in order to munch of these tasty nuts. Sightings of these
creatures are pretty rare. However, since many spend time in this area, aye-ayes are commonly
spotted in graveyards. This only adds to suspicions about their connection to death (Bittel).
According to Bittel a conservation biologist, Charles Welch, spent fifteen years in
Madagascar studying lemurs. He found it challenging to find aye-ayes during his studies. After
finding what appeared to be aye-aye fur on a nearby trail, Welch excitedly asked the first group
of locals he came across if they knew about its whereabouts. Welchs excitement vanished as he
learned of the events that had occurred. Welch states, [t]he night before, the villagers had come
across two aye-ayes by accident and as a result of seeing them, they had killed them right there.
This experience confirmed the suspicions of aye-aye killings without reason. Bittel also writes
about the project director for the Duke Lemur Centers SAVA Conservation Project, Erik Patel,
who also encountered similar experiences. He stated that [o]n more than one occasion we have

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seen aye-ayes strung up along the side of the road after being killed. Some villagers believe that
they can ward off evil spirit by stringing up these dead animals on the villages edge (Bittel).
A-Z Animal says that another reason the population of aye-ayes is in danger is due to loss
of habitat. This loss is caused by growing human settlements and deforestation. Much of the
deforestation is used for logging or to create space for agricultural plantations. Aye-ayes mostly
favor thick, tropical rainforest. These rainforest are being destroyed causing aye-ayes natural
habitat to shrink. The A-Z Animal article also says that with this shortage in foraging space, these
creatures will wander into crop settlements to look for food. If spotted these animals are usually
seen as pests and gunned down for it. Humans are forcing aye-ayes out of their habitats and
killing them when they trespass on what they perceive to be their land (Aye-Aye,
Daubentonia).
Becoming a source of food has become another issue that is contributing to the extinction
of this species. Seeing aye-ayes on the menu is not an uncommon thing. According to Bittel,
hunting animals-even endangered ones-may be the only way some people have to supply their
families with iron and protein. Welch also spoke about the complexity of this issue. It becomes
a difficult situation because you are dealing with people who are just trying to feed their families
(Bittel).
So what is being done to prevent the extinction of these creatures? Some of them are
being bred in captivity. The Duke Lemur Center at Duke University reported that it owns more
than half of the captive aye-ayes in the world. The captive population is about fifty and thirtythree of those live in the United States. The Duke Lemur Center houses seventeen aye-ayes and
owns various others in zoos across America (Aye-Aye, Duke). In America we are breeding ayeayes in captivity to prevent their extinction, but what are we doing in Madagascar? Bittel

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research states that Patel and some of his colleges work with the natives to prevent aye-ayes from
being murdered. They are trying to change the locals attitude toward these harmless creatures.
The ultimate goal of the SAVA Conservation Project is to improve the lives of the people in order
to protect animals. Without programs like this, the aye-aye might already be extinct (Bittel).
Aye-ayes are very interesting animals which have not been fully studied. These creepy,
somewhat peculiar creatures have taken a place in many researchers hearts. There are so many
things we have yet to learn about this strangely fascinating species. In order for scientists and
researchers to explore and discover more about them, aye-ayes need to remain in existence.
There is so much just waiting and wanting to be revealed about the aye-aye species.

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Works Cited
"Aye-Aye." Aye-Aye. Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
"Aye-Aye." Daubentonia Madagascariensis. A-Z Animals. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
"Aye-Aye." Duke Lemur Center RSS. Duke University. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
"Aye-Ayes." National Geographic. National Geographic. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
Bittel, Jason. "The Aye-Aye and the Finger of Death." Pacific Standard. Pacific Standard, 29 Oct.
2015. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.