You might wonder Why do Aye-Ayes have long fingers? These creatures are ancient primates that can be found in the forests of Madagascar. Here, we will unravel why its fingers are long and what it uses it for.
Why Do Aye-Ayes Have Long Fingers?
The Aye-Aye are mysterious primates that are found in the thick forests of Madagascar. Apart from it looking weird, its fingers are unusually long especially the middle finger. This finger helps it to survive in different adaptations.
Evolutionary Background
The Aye- Aye, being a member of the lemur family has made it able to survive in the thick forests of Madagascar.
The fingers apart from being long, has a skeletal structure that allows them to make use of it for various purposes.
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Foraging Adaptations
The primary reason for its long middle fingers is for foraging. Quite different from other animals in the lemur family, the aye has a special foraging technique that is known as percussive foraging.
This type of foraging is done by tapping on the bark, trunks and branches of trees to find insects for consumption.
The percussive foraging is performed using the middle finger by the Aye-Aye and this makes tapping easy so as to detect the movements of insects.
Ecological Niche
The flora and fauna that is found in Madagascar, makes it a perfect fit for the Aye-Aye as an ecological niche.
Its long, middle finger makes food sourcing easy and accessible for it even the foods that are inaccessible to other animals.
With its fingers, it can have access to hidden insects larvae that is in a tree bark, this makes it have a richer food source than other animals.
Nocturnal Lifestyle
The Aye-Aye uses its long fingers for its nocturnal movements. Since it’s mostly active during the night, it solely relies on its sense of touch to locate or move its food at night.
The finger of the Aye-Aye is a highly sensitive tool that helps it detect vibrations caused by the insects that moves at the bark of the tree.