Quick answer
Key facts about aye-aye — size, diet, habitat, and conservation in one place.
Percussive foraging
The aye-aye taps branches with its elongated middle finger, listening for hollow echoes of beetle larvae. It gnaws a hole and extracts prey with the same finger — convergent evolution with woodpeckers.
Folklore persecution
Some Malagasy traditions view the aye-aye as an omen of death, leading to killing on sight. Education and ecotourism help shift attitudes in protected areas.
Solitary night life
Aye-ayes forage alone at night across large home ranges, nesting in tree cavities by day. Females raise a single infant every 2–3 years — slow reproduction hampers recovery.
Conservation
Listed Endangered from deforestation and hunting. Ranomafana and Nosy Mangabe protect populations, but forest loss across Madagascar remains the primary threat.