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 Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:06 pm
Ever hear of the animal called the Aye-Aye? It's an nocturnal rodent. It has opposable thumbs, and it's middle finger can be up to three times bigger than the other fingers. The Aye-Aye is endangered. The reason is very interesting. Wikipedia The Aye-aye is an endangered species not only because its habitat is being destroyed, but also due to native superstition. Besides being a general nuisance in villages, ancient Malagasy legend said that the Aye-aye was a symbol of death. It is viewed as a good omen in some areas, however, but these areas are a minority. Researchers in Madagascar report remarkable fearlessness in the Aye-aye; some accounts tell of individual animals strolling nonchalantly in village streets or even walking right up to naturalists in the rainforest and sniffing their shoes. Therefore, it is no wonder that displaced animals often raid coconut plantations or steal food in villages. It is not unlike the American raccoon in this regard. However, public contempt goes beyond this. The Aye-aye is often viewed as a harbinger of evil and killed on sight. Others believe that should one point its long middle finger at you, you were condemned to death. Some say the appearance of an Aye-aye in a village predicts the death of a villager, and the only way to prevent this is to kill the Aye-aye. The Sakalava people go so far as to claim Aye-ayes sneak into houses through the thatched roofs and murder the sleeping occupants by using their middle finger to puncture the victim's aorta.Incidents of Aye-aye killings increase every year as its forest habitats are destroyed and it is forced to raid plantations and villages. Because of the superstition surrounding it, this often ends in death. Fortunately, the superstition can prevent people from hunting them for food  Aye-Aye VideoDiscuss- Post information on weird animals that you've heard of Aye-Aye Weird Animals Middle Fingers
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:21 pm
I want one as a pet.
Now.
biggrin
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:22 pm
I jumped back when I saw it!
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:22 pm
It might let you keep it. Some aren't scared of people. Wikipedia Researchers in Madagascar report remarkable fearlessness in the Aye-aye; some accounts tell of individual animals strolling nonchalantly in village streets or even walking right up to naturalists in the rainforest and sniffing their shoes.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:24 pm
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:25 pm
I think it's kind of cute, actually. I'd love to know where those superstitions came from though.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:25 pm
whee
I'ma get one, if I can~
S'kyooot~
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:30 pm
Did you know there is an amphibian that can change shape and become a land creature? It only lives in one lake in Mexico, Lake Xochimilco. I'm posting about that next. It's called "Axolotl". Edit: Wikipedia The Axolotl (or ajolote) (Ambystoma mexicanum) is the best-known of the Mexican neotenic mole salamanders belonging to the Tiger Salamander complex. Larvae of this species fail to undergo metamorphosis, so the adults remain aquatic and gilled.Wikipedia Axolotls exhibit a property called neoteny, meaning that they reach sexual maturity without undergoing metamorphosis. Many species within the Axolotl's genus are either entirely neotenic or have neotenic populations. In the axolotl, metamorphic failure is caused by a lack of thyroid stimulating hormone, which is used to induce the thyroid to produce thyroxine in transforming salamanders. The genes responsible for neoteny in laboratory animals may have been identified, however they are not linked in wild populations, suggesting artificial selection is the cause of complete neoteny in laboratory and pet axolotls. Wikipedia Unlike some other neotenic salamanders (Sirens and Necturus), Axolotls can be induced to metamorphose by an injection of iodine (used in the production of thyroid hormones) or by shots of thyroxine hormone. Another method for inducing transformation, though one that is very rarely successful, involves removing an axolotl in good condition to a shallow tank in a vivarium and slowly reducing the water level so that the axolotl has difficulty submerging. It will then, over a period of weeks, slowly metamorphose into an adult salamander. During transformation, the air in the vivarium must remain moist, and the maturing axolotl sprayed with a fine mist of pure water. The odds of the animal being able to metamorphose via this method are extremely small, and most attempts at inducing metamorphosis lead to death. This is likely due to the strong genetic basis for neoteny in laboratory and pet axolotls, which means that few captive animals have the ability to metamorphose on their own. Spontaneous metamorphosis has been known to occur very rarely, but attempts to do so artificially are best left to trained scientists. Artificial metamorphosis also dramatically shortens the axolotl's lifespan, if they survive the process. A neotenic axolotl will live an average of 10–15 years (though an individual in Paris is credited with achieving 25 years), while a metamorphosed specimen will scarcely live past the age of five. It's long, so only read the highlighted parts.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:32 pm
since the aye-ae is endangered u cant have one as a pet and those things are but ugly. in response to the rumers the natives had some bad times when the aye-aye came around so they blamed nature and not them selves
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:35 pm
xd To be fair...that picture of one does look a bit like some kind of demon
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:35 pm
That thing scared me when I saw it. .__.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:40 pm
I think the baby Aye-aye is cute, before it's hand gets very big.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:42 pm
....am I the only one that thinks it's cute?! Well, aside from Rachel?!
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:44 pm
I think its cute, too, Celes.
And the Axolotl is pretty cool looking, too.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 1:45 pm
All the cool animals are endangered. What's wrong with the world!? gonk
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