The bizarre-looking Aye-aye is actually a highly distinctive, nocturnal lemur belonging to a group of primates only found on the island of Madagascar.
At about the size of a Chihuahua, this lemur perches on a suspended tree branch. This intriguing animal has some very special features to help its survival - including big eyes, a brushy tail larger than its body, large and sensitive ears, 5 slender elongated fingers on each hand which draw to pointed claws. Its body is covered in course fine dark brown hair tinged with lighter highlights at the end.
Its enormous ears can detect insect larvae within trees. It then extracts the grubs by gnawing a hole in the wood with its rodent-like incisors and pulling the grubs out with its elongated middle finger.
The Aye-aye was thought to be extinct in 1933 but was fortunately rediscovered in 1957 and is now more widespread than previously thought. However, its conservation status is still rated as 'Endangered'.
