Photos: rare aye-aye lemur born at Bristol Zoo Gardens

Photos: rare aye-aye lemur born at Bristol Zoo Gardens
Jeremy Hance, mongabay.com
January 16, 2008

Photos courtesy of Bristol Zoo Gardens

Born on November 23rd, 2007 at Bristol Zoo Gardens this baby Aye-aye was given the name Raz. According to the EDGE (Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered) organization this is only the second Aye-aye to be hand raised in the UK.

A truly unique animal, the Aye-aye sports a long middle finger (sometimes three times longer than the others) which it uses to seek-out insect larva in trees. Aye-ayes are native to Madagascar and currently listed as endangered by the IUCN. They are threatened by widespread deforestation and killings the related to belief in some Madagascar tribes that the species is an omen of death.

The Aye-aye has a reputation for being one of the world's 'ugliest' species. Hopefully, these photos discount such a limited view. Photos courtesy of the Bristol Zoo Gardens.

In Search of the Aye-aye: Seeking the world's strangest primate on a tropical island paradise off Madagascar
Madagascar has been called the "land that time forgot" for its collection of unique and often downright bizarre plants and animals. Around 75% of the species on the island are found nowhere else on Earth, putting Madagascar atop the list among the world's most biologically diverse countries. Madagascar is famous for its lemurs, a group of primates endemic to the island. Among these lemurs is one of the planet's strangest beasts, the aye-aye. This nocturnal and reclusive lemur looks like it has been assembled from a variety of animals.