aye-aye, captain!

this month's speesees endangered species is the aye-aye. the aye-aye is a primate found in madagascar (an island off the coast of africa). it has rodent-like teeth, a squirrel-like tail, and a unique long middle-finger. it uses this long finger to tap on tree trunks and locate grubs inside the tree. it then gnaws a hole in the tree and pulls the grubs out with its long finger. yum!

the aye-aye is on the endangered species list. at one time, it was thought to be extinct, but a few remaining animals were rediscovered in 1961, and there are several aye-ayes being bred at zoos to increase their numbers. aye-ayes are threatened by two things, both caused by humans. firstly, its habitat is being destroyed as human-beings log forests to create sugar cane and coconut plantations, leaving the aye-aye without any food or home. when it tries to eat the sugar cane or coconuts, humans treat it as a pest. secondly, the natives in madagascar also have superstitions about the aye-aye. they believe it is a symbol of death and falsely believe that the aye-aye comes into houses to harm people while they sleep. unfortunately, these superstitions lead uneducated villagers to kill endangered aye-ayes when they see them.

how can we, as humans, help save the aye-aye from extinction? there are several organizations that are involved with preserving habitat in madagascar, including conservation international and the world wildlife federation. you can help the lil' aye-aye by supporting either of these two organizations. speesees works in partnership with the wwf, and we have donated our product to auctions supporting the wwf in the past.