aye-aye

The aye-aye is found exclusively in Madagascar. Situated to the southeast of Africa and separated from the continent by the 800 km-wide (497 mi) Mozambique Channel, the island of Madagascar is in the Indian Ocean and is the fourth largest island in the world (Swindler 2002). the aye-aye was believed to be extinct as recently as the mid-1900's, it now appears that the species has one of the largest distributions among non-human primates in Madagascar albeit at very low population densities (Sterling 1994a). Thus, the aye-aye range may not represent a continuous population distribution. They are found in the eastern rain forests of Madagascar from as far south as the Andohahela Reserve near the south coast to the northern end of the island at Ankarana Special Reserve (O'Connor et al. 1986; Hawkins et al. 1990). The west coast of Madagascar, long thought to be devoid of the aye-aye, is home to the species as far south as the Bemaraha Nature Reserve (Harcourt & Thornback 1990). The only area of Madagascar where the aye-aye is not found is the southwest of the island

The main threat to the Aye-aye is destrucition of its habitat. It is not known if it can survive in degraded areas; it is suggested that it needs large trees in which to build its nests. In some areas of Madagascar it is killed on sight, as it is regarded as a harbinger of misfortune. It is also reported to be killed when raiding crops.