Imagine running into a creature at night with enormous eyes, pointed ears like a bat’s, teeth that look like a rodent’s, and a fluffy tail worthy of a gothic black cat. Your first instinct would be to run. Your second instinct would too. But it turns out that this being, the aye-aye, is technically a primate: the same group that you belong to.
Daubentonia madagascariensis lives exclusively in Madagascar and is nocturnal, which adds layers to its aura as a misunderstood creature. For centuries it confused scientists and terrified local communities, who considered it an omen of bad luck. It is not a rodent, it is not a bat, it is none of what it seems. It is, according to National Geographic, one of the most peculiar and misunderstood animals in the entire animal kingdom.
And yet, there it is in your family tree, sharing with humans a common ancestor that probably had no idea what it was starting. 🌿