Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
small territories, hence they never cover large distances and spend their entire lives in the
trees. A different way of life is led by the larger leaf-eating species such as the indri. In a
rainforest there is noshortage ofleaves; however,as afoodsource leaves are poorinnutri-
ents, so each lemur needs to consume a large amount. Leaf-eaters therefore tend to collect
insmallgroups,togetherdefendingtheirterritoryoffoliagewithscentsandoftenloudcalls
which in the dense forests are the best forms of communication.
THE AYE-AYE
Hilary Bradt
Thestrangestlemuristheaye-aye,
Daubentoniamadagascariensis
.Ittookawhilefor
scientists to decide that it was a lemur at all: for years it was thought to be a peculiar
type of squirrel. Now it is classified in a family of its own, Daubentoniidae. The aye-
aye seems to have been assembled from the leftover parts of a variety of animals. It
has the teeth of a rodent (they never stop growing), the ears of a bat, the tail of a fox
and the hands of no living creature, since the middle finger is like that of a skeleton.
It's this finger which so intrigues scientists, as it shows the aye-aye's adaptation to its
way of life. In Madagascar it fills the ecological niche left empty by the absence of
woodpeckers. The aye-aye evolved to use its skeletal finger to winkle grubs from un-
der the bark of trees. The aye-aye's fingers are unique among lemurs in another way
- it has claws not fingernails (except on the big toe). When searching for grubs the
aye-aye taps on the wood with its finger, its enormous ears pointing like radar dishes
to detect a cavity. It can even tell whether this is occupied by a nice fat grub. Another
anatomical feature of the aye-aye that sets it apart from other primates is that it has
inguinal mammary glands. In other words, its teats are between its back legs.
This fascinating animal was long considered to be on the verge of extinction, but
recently there have been encouraging signs that it is more widespread than previously
supposed. Although destruction of habitat is the chief threat to its survival, it is also
at risk because of its supposedly evil powers. Rural people believe the aye-aye to be
theheraldofdeath.Ifoneisseennearasettlement itmustbekilled,andeventhenthe
only salvation may be to burn down the village.
