This creature lives in the bamboo thickets of Madagascar. Zoologists attribute it to mammals from the order of semi-monkeys. It was discovered by natural scientist Pierre Sonner during his work on the shores of Madagascar. His name is aye-aye, or Madagascar hand-arm. Consider this unpretentious, but very funny creature in more detail.
What kind of beast is this?
Ayye-aye, or simply ay-ay, is a mammalian animal classified as a special type of lemur. The arm is the only species from the family of the same name. Nevertheless, outwardly, she is completely unlike either her fellow lemurs or monkeys in general. Scientists note that the Madagascar arm-leg (photo of this unusual half-monkey is presented in the article) is closer in kind to squirrels or cats. Even in its size, the animal resembles a domestic cat.
Who opened the little arm?
This only species of the family of the same name was discovered in 1780 by the researcher Pierre Sonner. He accidentally discovered this amazing half-monkey while doing research on the west coast of Madagascar. The researcher described this hitherto unprecedented creature as a rodent, but soon scientists decided to change the classification of the arm.
Is she a rodent or a lemur?
The systematics of the Madagascar hand-arm has been repeatedly called into question: long scientific debates have been conducted about the place of aye-aye in zoology. For example, its peculiar structure of teeth and squirrel tail said that the arm should be attributed specifically to tropical rodents. So it was, but not for long. Scientific debate over the classification of this animal flared up constantly.
As a result, scientists agreed that the Madagascar little arm (photo No. 2) is not a rodent, but a real lemur, even if it deviates somewhat in development from the common trunk of its group. By the way, the name of the subfamily (genus) of these animals was given in honor of the French naturalist Louis Jean-Marie Dobanton, who lived in 1716-1800.
What does a little arm look like?
The animal is covered with brown-black hair, has a long and fluffy tail. A distinctive feature of this animal is its elongated fingers (look at the photo ah-ah). The color of this creation is mainly brown, in white speck. The length of the arm reaches only 40-44 centimeters (without tail). The latter is strikingly similar to the tail of a squirrel. It is curious that in length it is much larger than the arm itself and reaches 60 centimeters. The weight of the animal is about 3 kilograms.
Madagascar's small arm has a wide muzzle with a shortened front part. It is located on a large head, which is decorated with dark and large eyes of bright yellow or greenish colors. The ears of the oval-shaped arm, they are completely devoid of hair and have a leathery structure. As already mentioned, the body of the animal is covered with long brown-black hairs. The coat’s hair cannot be called thick, since undercoat is clearly visible from under it. In the inguinal region of this animal there are two nipples.
The forelegs of these creatures are short, and the hind legs are slightly longer. On the toes of both legs, ai-ai grows the only true nail that resembles a human. On all other fingers and toes of these unusual animals ordinary claws grow. Like monkeys, they have a fifth finger opposed. The long fingers of the forelimbs help them get insects and their larvae from the cracks of trees or from other inaccessible places and push them into their throats.
Where does this creature live?
As the name of the animal, ay-ay, or Madagascar arm-legged, inhabits the island of Madagascar, or rather, its northern part. Lives directly in the rainforests and is the largest representative of the so-called nocturnal primates. By the way, this species is listed in the Red Book as disappearing, but more on that later.
What does the madagascar arm-nose eat?
These creatures feed on fruits, coconuts, mangoes, as well as insect larvae and large beetles. The teeth of the arms are very similar to the teeth of rodents and are located in the oral region in the amount of 18 pieces. The incisors of these animals are curved and large. They are separated from the molars by a significant gap.
It is curious that after the change of the so-called milk teeth, the fangs of ay-ay do not remain, however, the incisors themselves continue to grow throughout the life of the animal. It is the front incisors that serve to gnaw the walnut peel, as well as the bark of the thick stems of certain plants. When the fetus is eaten, the Madagascan arm begins to pick out its flesh with the help of its long and thin fingers.
Ai-Ai Lifestyle
This animal leads a nocturnal lifestyle. The arms of Madagascar tolerate daylight very poorly, and sometimes even painfully. Scientists who conducted experiments on these creatures found out that he simply scared the arms. As soon as the sun sets, the animal leaves the shelter, starts frolic and grunts merrily. At this time, little arms jump randomly through the trees in search of food. Photo ah, it clearly shows. But as the sun rises, the nocturnal animals immediately scatter over their shelters.
Where are they hiding?
As shelters, ai-ai prefer hollows located not too high from the ground. Zoologists note that sometimes these creatures can live in nests specially built by them. Madagascar sleeves sleep, like lemurs, curled up in a ball. At the same time, they hide behind their beautiful fluffy tail. Their life expectancy in nature is unknown, but in captivity they live up to 25 years.
Another discovery by scientists
For a long time, zoologists were convinced that the arms are hermits, that is, they live in solitude. Not so long ago, this was disproved by fauna researcher Elinora Sterling. Initially, scientists believed that these creatures were looking for food alone, but Sterling, who studied the behavior of arms in nature, proved that ah-i move in pairs in search of food.
How does this happen. Both animals travel one after another in exact sequence. If, for example, one of them wants to jump to the nearest tree, then he will definitely notify about it with the help of a certain sound from his friend, and he, in turn, will dutifully follow him. Females with males form the same pairs during their mating games.
Reproduction of arms
Madagascar's little arm breeds very slowly. Females bring only one cub every 3 years! Moreover, their pregnancy lasts 5.5 months. For a newborn baby, the female equips a large nest, which is lined with soft litter. About six months, a little ay-ay is fed mother's milk, after which it switches to self-feeding. But even at this time, the cub is still holding on to his mother.
Arm guard
Unfortunately, the abundance of these unique animals is poor. As a result of the constant deforestation of the tropics, these animals remained in the minority. At one time, they were even considered completely exterminated, since in nature, it is rather difficult to meet owing to their nocturnal lifestyle. Fortunately, scientists have found that the populations of arms have not disappeared from the face of the earth.
At the same time, members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature came out in defense of these creatures, supporting Dr. Jean-Jacques Petter on his initiative to turn the island in Antonigil Bay into a sanctuary for arms, blocking access to it from tourists and local residents. So they did. In 1967, four males and five females were released on this islet, which took root there perfectly. The animals in this reserve began to breed, which served as the reason for the creation of 16 more reserve reserves in Madagascar to save ay-ai.
However, the protection and rescue of arms from extinction is not limited to this. These animals needed and continue to need more thorough protection, therefore they were listed in the Red Book. Fortunately, in recent years their numbers have grown. At present, arms are kept in large numbers in nature reserves. In zoos around the world of these creatures, there are about 60 individuals.
Is the Madagascar Hand Tamed?
- At home, to contain this creation, of course, it is possible, but not recommended. As you already know, these are nocturnal animals, which means that the arm-arm and its owner will be “out of the way”. When the owner is sleeping, the animal is awake. And vice versa. If we take into account the fact that in the diet of the arms, there must be not only tropical fruits, but also living insects (and their larvae), then at night it will not be so simple to provide your pet with such a rations!
- Do not forget that the Madagascar armhole is a resident of the southern island of Madagascar, which means it needs a mild and warm climate, which in Russian realities will not be so easy.
- Since these creatures cannot tolerate daylight, they will constantly need to be kept in the dark in case they suddenly wake up in the daytime. Otherwise, you will scare your pet. In zoos, where ay-ay are kept, they have all the necessary conditions. In domestic realities this is unlikely to be done, so it is better not to torture either the animal or yourself.
