What Class is a Aye-Aye in? The Aye-Aye is one of the creature that have caught the interest of wildlife lovers and enthusiasts. Let’s go on a ride to understand their classification and their order in the Animal Kingdom.
The Aye-Aye
There a lot of animals with unique characteristics and features in the animal kingdom. The Aye-Aye stands out as one of this animal and is found in the rainforests of Madagascar. Aye-Aye has an unusual feature and behavior.
Taxonomy and Classification
Taxonomy is the science of classifying or grouping living organism. In classifying the Aye-Aye, it is grouped in the class Mammalia.
The class is made up of warm-blooded animals that has mammary glands, fur or hairs and a unique middle ear.
Mammals are known to give birth to their young and always show a high level of parental care.
Order and Family
The order in which the Aye-Aye belongs to is the Primates order. This group includes apes, lemurs, monkeys and humans. In the order of Primates, the Aye-Aye is grouped in the family Daubentoniidae.
The Aye-Aye is the only member of its family. This uniqueness shows how distinctive it is from other primates.
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Genus and Species
Going down its taxonomy, the Aye-Aye is classified in the genus Daubentonia. Madagascariensis , its specie name, shows its native habitat which is Madagascar.
Madagascar, an island nation located in the southeasthern coast of Africa is home to numerous animals, including the Aye-Aye.
Features of the Aye-Aye
One of the unique features of the Aye-Aye is its elongated middle finger, which is used for a special type of foraging called the “tap foraging”.
Tap foraging is a type of foraging where the Aye-Aye taps at tree barks to capture insects hidden beneath the tree bark.
This attribute of the Aye-Aye makes it unique from other primates in the animal kingdom.