Aye-ayes have a varied diet consisting of fruits, nuts, and plant exudates. Aye-ayes use their specialized third digit to pierce the outer skin of fruits and scoop out the contents. Dierenfeld, et al. Xylophagous, or wood boring, insect larvae make up another important component of the aye-aye diet, especially cerambycid beetle larvae.
Aye-ayes have several derived features and a unique percussive foraging method to detect the presence of these larvae in trees. The specialized third digit is used to tap on wood in search of hollow spaces below the surface of the bark. There are conflicting views on whether aye-ayes can detect the sound of reverberations in these cavities or whether they can detect breaks in the integrity of the wood.
Once a cavity is found, the aye-aye uses its large, procumbent incisors to gnaw through the bark and extracts the larvae with its long and slender third digit. There are several other features that may be related to foraging behaviors. These include an enlarged frontal cortex and an increased volume of the olfactory lobe, as well as large, naked ears, which enhance hearing.
However, little is known about predation on aye-ayes. Their nocturnal and arboreal habits may protect them from much predation. Aye-ayes may help to disperse fruiting tree seeds through their frugivory. They are also important predators of wood-boring beetle larvae. Aye-ayes are fascinating animals that are important members of native Malagasy ecosystems. Aye-ayes may inhabit cultivated areas and farmlands, including coconut and lychee plantations.
As a result, they are sometimes considered crop pests. Daubentonia madagascariensis has been listed as an endangered species since the s. In the IUCN estimated the total population to be between 1, and 10, individuals. The rapid loss of their natural habitat due to encroachment by humans is the main threat to this species.
In addition, aye-ayes are hunted or killed on the spot by native Malagasy who see them as crop pests or bad omens. Currently, aye-ayes can be found in at least 16 protected areas across Madagascar. There is an effort to develop breeding colonies of captive aye-ayes. Daubentonia madagascariensis is the only extant member of the family Daubentoniidae. Fossils of a late Holocene species known as Daubentonia robusta have been recovered, which was about 30 percent larger than aye-ayes.
In birds, naked and helpless after hatching. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a now extinct synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds. Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons or periodic condition changes.
Epiphytes and climbing plants are also abundant. Precipitation is typically not limiting, but may be somewhat seasonal. Ancrenaz, M. Lackamancrenaz, N. Field Observations of Aye-Ayes. Folia Primatologica , vol. AnkelSimons, F. Deciduous Dentition of the Aye-Aye. American Journal of Primatology , vol. Dierenfeld, E. Ashbourne, A. Erickson, C.
Nowiki, L. Dollar, N. International Journal of Primatology , vol. Feistner, A. Sterling, Dodo. Journal of the Wildlife Preservation Trusts , vol. Kaufman, J. Aye-ayes have pointed claws on all their fingers and toes except for their opposable big toes, which enable them to dangle from branches.
Aye-ayes spend their lives in rain forest trees and avoid coming down to earth. They are nocturnal, and spend the day curled up in a ball-like nest of leaves and branches.
The nests appear as closed spheres with single entry holes, situated in the forks of large trees. While perched aloft, the aye-aye taps on trees with its long middle finger and listens for wood-boring insect larvae moving under the bark. It employs the same middle finger to fish them out. The digit is also useful for scooping the flesh out of coconuts and other fruits that supplement the animal's insect diet.
Many people native to Madagascar consider the aye-aye an omen of ill luck. For this reason they often have been killed on sight. Such hunting, coupled with habitat destruction, have put aye-aye populations at-risk. Today they are protected by law. All rights reserved. Common Name: Aye-ayes. Scientific Name: Daubentonia madagascariensis. Type: Mammals. Diet: Omnivore. Size: Head and body: 14 to 17 inches; tail: 22 to 24 inches. It has large, round orange eyes; large, pointed ears; and long, coarse, brown to black fur tipped in white.
It has five long fingers on it hands, and its clawed middle finger is extra long and thin. It uses its long middle finger to tap on trees to locate larvae and insects. It then gnaws on the tree to rip open the bark, and then it uses its middle finger to dig out its prey. The aye-aye's incisors grow throughout its life, so they are always nice and sharp! The aye-aye also eats nectar, seeds, and fruit.
0コメント