Going through the beautiful rainforests of Madagascar and getting to know about the primate called an Aye-Aye. The next question that comes to mind is: What is the closest relative to the Aye-Aye? As we go on, we will get to uncover the answer to this question.
What is the Closest Relative to the Aye-Aye?
The Aye-Aye captures the hearts of wildlife enthusiasts and scientist. Its appearance which is unique, singles it out among other members of the lemur family. Let’s read on as we learn about their family tree and also its closest relative.
The Aye-Aye’s Features
Before uncovering its closest relative, let’s find out about its features and all that has to do with the appearance of an Aye-Aye.
The Aye-Aye has large eyes, a long bushy tail and an elongated middle finger that is also known as “witch’s fingers”.
These fingers are used for a special kind of foraging known as the “Tap foraging”.
Tap foraging is a type of foraging whereby the Aye-Aye taps on the bark of trees to extract insects hidden beneath the tree bark with the use of echolocation.
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Primate Family Tree
To find out about its closest relative, we make use of its family tree. The Aye-Aye belong to the Lemur family and has a suborder known as Strepsirrhini which includes bush babies and pottos.
The Aye-Aye however belongs to a unique family called the Daubentoniidae making them the only members of this family.
Conservation
Knowing its closest relative is not just for the knowledge of it but also for conservation efforts. As the Aye-Aye species faces threats of habitat loss and hunting by humans, knowing the closest relatives can help in promoting conservation plans.
Conclusion
In the tree of primates, the Aye-Aye stands on its own in the family tree, with no immediate relative that they share ancestors with.