For generations, the Aye-aye was a figure of fear in local Malagasy folklore. Many believed the animal was an ; sightings were thought to foretell tragedy, leading some to kill the animals on sight to ward off bad luck.

Despite being the most widely distributed lemur on the island, the Aye-aye faces critical threats.

Strictly nocturnal and primarily solitary foragers. Diet: Includes wood-boring larvae, ramy nuts, and fungi.

The Aye-aye is the world's largest nocturnal primate. Its most famous feature is its highly specialized . This long, spindly digit is used for "percussive foraging"—the animal taps on tree trunks up to eight times per second to locate hollow chambers where wood-boring larvae hide. Once it hears the echo of a grub, it uses its ever-growing incisors to gnaw through the bark and fishes out its meal with that same versatile finger. Cultural Legend: Omen or Treasure?

Organizations are working to protect the "centers of endemism" in northern Madagascar to ensure this unique evolutionary lineage—the last of its family—does not disappear. Quick Facts Scientific Name: Daubentonia madagascariensis