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BohoBio Bio
Hello, my name is Bibi and this is my BohoBio Bio
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Name : Bibi the Aye-Aye
Scientific Name : Daubentonia madagascariensis Home : Rainforest of eastern Madagascar Favorite Foods : insect larvae, fruit, seeds, fungi and honey Personality : creature of the night, shy, keep to myself Best Features : long and agile middle finger; exceptional hearing Biggest Concerns : avoiding fossas, surviving human impact Shout out : Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership |
WHERE I’M FROM
I live in a rainforest on the east coast of Madagascar, a huge island of the east coast of Africa. In the forest there are trees close to 100 meters (330 feet) tall and I like to hang out near the tops of those trees. I can find everything I need in the treetops, so I only go down to the ground if I want to move to a different tree.
PHYSICAL TRAITS
I am a primate and a distant relative of the lemur that live in Madagascar. I have many features that make me unique, however. I have front teeth that are always growing like rodents. These teeth allow me to chew away the bark of trees to get to the grubs that live there. My eyes are big and I have excellent night vision. This is good because I am active at night. I am actually the world’s largest nocturnal primate, not that body is all that big (though I am bigger than my friend Tini the tarsier). We aye-ayes average about 2 kg (4 pounds) and are about 1 meter (38 inches) long, with more than half of my length being my bushy tail. My body is covered with dark fur with white highlights. This helps makes me hard to see in my surroundings which is good because I am quite shy and prefer not to get noticed.
Along with large eyes, I also have big ears and incredibly long fingers. My middle finger is particularly long and I use it for hunting for grubs. These grubs live underneath the bark of trees and by tapping on the bark with my finger, I can locate where the bugs are with my super sensitive hearing. Then I chew a hole in the bark and stick my middle finger in the hole to spear the grub and pull it out. I am honestly one of the world’s best grub hunters.
Along with large eyes, I also have big ears and incredibly long fingers. My middle finger is particularly long and I use it for hunting for grubs. These grubs live underneath the bark of trees and by tapping on the bark with my finger, I can locate where the bugs are with my super sensitive hearing. Then I chew a hole in the bark and stick my middle finger in the hole to spear the grub and pull it out. I am honestly one of the world’s best grub hunters.
FAMILY LIFE
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I enjoy solitude and don’t interact much with other aye-ayes except for when it’s time to start a family. Male aye-ayes keep a large territory of about 100 – 200 hectares (250 – 500 acres) while females keep to a smaller territory of about 40 hectares which overlaps with at least one of the male’s territories. I sleep in a fancy nest I built from branches and leaves, but I don’t mind if another aye-aye sleeps there when I’m away and I will sleep in theirs if it’s empty. We female aye-ayes have one baby at a time and usually raise it on our own. The baby will feed on our milk for about 7 months and will leave and be ready to start their own family after about 2 years and if all goes well can life to be about 20 years old. |
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PRESENT & FUTURE
Right now, aye-ayes are classified as “endangered” with a small, dispersed population in Madagascar. Some parts of our home have been designated national parks which hopefully will keep those areas in good condition. We can always use your help to ensure we have a future in which our home is kept safe. We are fortunate to have friends like the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership which is dedicated to protecting us and our home. So long as the effort of people trying to protect us and our home are greater than the efforts of people trying to kill us or destroy our home, we will have a future presence on our planet.
