Other Definitions
aye aye (dict)
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Aye-aye
The Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a primate native to Madagascar that combines rodent-like teeth with a long, thin middle finger to fill the ecological niche of a woodpecker. It taps on trees to find grubs, then gnaws holes in the wood and inserts its finger to pull the grubs out. The Aye-aye is the only extant species in the family Daubentoniidae and infraorder Chiromyiformes. A second species (Daubentonia robustus) was exterminated over the last few centuries. The Aye-aye was thought to be extinct, but was rediscovered in 1961. Six individuals were transported to Nosy Mangabe, an island near Maroansetra in eastern Madagascar. The Aye-aye is more widespread than was previously thought, but is still endangered. There are several Aye-ayes kept in zoos, where some have bred successfully. The Aye-aye was once thought to be a type of squirrel that lived underground, using its long finger to capture insects and worms. Classification - ORDER PRIMATES
- Suborder Strepsirrhini: non-tarsier prosimians
- Infraorder Lemuriformes
- Infraorder Chiromyiformes
- Family Daubentoniidae: Aye-aye
- Genus ''Daubentonia''
- Aye-aye, ''Daubentonia madagascariensis''
- (Daubentonia robusta, extinct)
- Infraorder Loriformes
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