Chapter 1
Built for the dark and the bizarre biology of the aye-aye
Chapter 2
The great identity crisis and how science got it wrong
Chapter 3
Omens, taboos, and saving the world's strangest primate
YOUR GOAL
Master of The upside-down world of the Madagascar aye-aye
Ch 2 · The great identity crisis and how science got it wrong
alicecooks The Aye-Aye Identity Crisis
They saw those growing teeth and called it a rat, But it's a tree-dwelling lemur, imagine that.
alicecooks The man who coined the word dinosaur dissected a London museum specimen to establish the aye-aye's unique genus,
alicecooks A glossy candy-coated illustration of a playful inflatable lemur resembling a squirrel.
Fun Fact
Name origin mystery: The name aye-aye might come from the Malagasy phrase heh heh, meaning I don't know, used by locals answering confused European explorers.
Glossary
taxonomy (noun)
The branch of science concerned with the classification of organisms. In 1788, Johann Friedrich Gmelin incorrectly categorized the aye-aye as a squirrel due to its teeth.
The branch of science concerned with the classification of organisms. In 1788, Johann Friedrich Gmelin incorrectly categorized the aye-aye as a squirrel due to its teeth.
Quiz
What was the name of the giant, extinct relative of the aye-aye that once lived in Madagascar?
Quiz
Approximately how many millions of years ago did the aye-aye lineage split from other lemurs?
Quiz
Which French naturalist first introduced the aye-aye to European science in 1780?
Quiz
Which famous British anatomist, who also named dinosaurs, proved the aye-aye was a lemur in 1863?
Quiz
What animal group did early European scientists first classify the aye-aye into?