What animals are in the Daubentoniidae family?
Taxonomy. The family Daubentoniidae contains only one living species, Daubentonia madagascariensis (Fig. 4; aye-aye), and one extinct species (see “Subfossil Lemur” section).
What does Madagascariensis mean?
Noun. 1. aye-aye – nocturnal lemur with long bony fingers and rodent-like incisor teeth closely related to the lemurs. Daubentonia madagascariensis. lemur – large-eyed arboreal prosimian having foxy faces and long furry tails.
What are the characteristics of an Aye-Aye Monkey?
Aye-ayes are dark brown or black and are distinguished by a bushy tail that is larger than their body. They also feature big eyes, slender fingers, and large, sensitive ears. Aye-ayes have pointed claws on all their fingers and toes except for their opposable big toes, which enable them to dangle from branches.
Do aye-ayes mate for life?
Females are only receptive to mating every 2-3 years due to extensive parental investment. Females advertise their receptivity with loud vocalizations to attract nearby males and will mate with several males during the estrus period. Aye-ayes mate for up to two and a half hours hanging upside down from a branch.
Is the aye aye extinct?
Endangered (Population decreasing)
Aye-aye/Conservation status
What is aye-aye named after?
The French naturalist Pierre Sonnerat was the first to use the vernacular name “aye-aye” in 1782 when he described and illustrated the lemur, though it was also called the “long-fingered lemur” by English zoologist George Shaw in 1800—a name that did not stick.
What makes the AYE AYE unique?
The most unusual feature of the aye-aye is its extremely narrow middle finger, which it uses to tap on trees to find grubs under the bark. Despite this specific adaptation to eating insects, the aye-aye can also be found eating seeds, fungi, and fruits, which makes it an omnivore.
Is an aye aye poisonous?
At first glance, with its big brown eyes and teddy-bear face, this nocturnal mammal appears cute and cuddly, but it’s got a lethal bite, which can cause fever, pain and swelling. For humans who suffer from allergic reactions, it can also be deadly.
What is the life cycle of an aye-aye?
Young are weaned at about seven months but stay with the mother for up to two years before going off on their own. Lifespan in the wild is unknown but aye-ayes have lived 23 years in captivity.
Is the aye-aye endangered?
Which is the only extant member of the family Daubentonia?
The aye-aye is the only extant member of the genus Daubentonia and family Daubentoniidae.
How long is the gestation period for Daubentonia?
There is a gestation period of 152 to 172 days, and infants are typically born between February and September. There is a 2 to 3 year interval between births. This long interbirth interval may be due to the relatively slow development of young and high levels of parental investment.
What kind of environment does Daubentonia madagascariensis live in?
Daubentonia madagascariensis can be found in a wide variety of environments including primary and secondary rainforest, deciduous forest, cultivated plantations, and occasionally dry scrub forest and mangrove forest. They spend most of their time in the upper two levels of the canopy.
Where are the bullae located in the Daubentoniidae?
Posterior to the incisors is a diastema. The cheekteeth are flattened and have indistinct cusps. The skulls are rounded and the facial region is reduced. An interparietal is present. The postorbital bar is complete, and the foramen magnum is shifted well beneath the skull. The bullae are large and enclose the tympanic ring.