The mouse lemur is the smallest primate in the world, with a combined head, body, and tail length of less than 30cm (11.8"). It is native to Madagascar and is nocturnal. Mouse lemurs are considered cryptic species—with very little morphological differences between the various species, but with high genetic diversity.
Lemurs and mouse lemurs were announced by the IUCN as the most endangered of all vertebrates. There were 2 known mouse lemur species in 1992; by 2016, there were 24.
Aye-aye is one of the strangest looking primates. They can only be found in the north-eastern parts of Madagascar. They are nocturnal and usually at the altitude above 700 meters of rain forest trees.
It has specifically designed middle finger which is used for extraction of food from trunks, braches and hard shells. Aye-aye taps a branch with its finger and listens if there is any sound of moving insects or larvae inside. If the movement is detected, aye-aye will make a hole with sharp teeth and use its middle digit to scoop the prey.
The ancient legends of Malagasy considered it the symbol of death due to its scary looks and eerie call. They believe that if the long pointed finger is pointed to any person, death befalls him/her. This leads people to kill aye-ayes on sight. Aye-aye is listed as nearly threatened species with 1000 left on the wild and it is currently under protection.
