Habitat
Adaptable: in rain forest, deciduous forest and scrub
Distribution
Widely though sparsely throughout eastern, northern and northwest Madagascar
Status
CITES Appendix 1
Population
Unknown but probably declining
Threats
Habitat destruction and killing by locals as considered vermin and a bad omen
Conservation
Reserve areas throughout Madagascar need better protection. Recompense for crop damage could encourage less killing as vermin. Captive breeding program thought possible
Size
80 - 100 cm including a long bushy tail
Weight
Average weight of an adult is 2kg
Special features
The only living representative of the family. It has a highly specialised third finger, which is long and thin and used for excavating grubs from rotting wood. In the past it was protected by the belief that anyone harming the Aye-Aye would die within a
year. More recently local superstition treats it as a harbinger of misfortune.
File last modified Thursday, October 3, 1996