Do Aye-Ayes have 6 fingers? You might have come across this question and need an answer if it has 6 fingers or not. The Aye-Aye is unique primate with specialized fingers but here, we will find out how many fingers it has.
Do Aye-Ayes Have 6 Fingers?
The Aye-Aye is a unique and peculiar primate that can be found in the thick forests of Madagascar.
Widely known for its strange appearance, the aye-aye has a specialized middle finger which it uses for its kind of foraging behaviour. The fingers appear unusual which brings us to the question: Do aye-ayes have 6 fingers?
The Aye-Aye’s Extra Digit
Different from what people might expect, the Aye-Ayes do not actually have 6 fingers. This confusion comes to play because of its long, bony-like middle finger which often looks like an additional finger of the Aye-Aye.
This specialized finger which is bony and long, plays a vital role in its foraging habits.
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Foraging Adaptations
Being nocturnal in nature, the Aye-Aye uses its fingers for a unique foraging method which is called percussive foraging.
It makes use of echolocation to find hidden insects larvae that are beneath the tree bark. This makes the Aye-Aye the only primate that use echolocation for foraging.
Anatomy of the Third Digit
The third finger of an Aye-Aye has characteristics like, the length, the thinness and its skeletal-looking structure which is obviously longer than other fingers and has a sharp claw at the end.
The skeletal structure of its fingers, allows it to search and fish out insects’ larvae from the tree. The insects’ larvae is said to be the Aye-Aye’s primary food source.
At first glance, it looks like an extra finger but when we get closer to it, it actually has five fingers with the middle finger longer than the rest.
Conclusion
Finally, the Aye-Aye’s finger might appear to be six, but it’s actually five fingers. This is because of its specialized middle finger it uses for foraging.