Subscribe to BBC Science Focus Magazine for fascinating new Q&As every month and follow on Twitter for your daily dose of fun facts. The truth – if you’re a grub – is just as grisly. One belief is that this creature creeps into the houses of villagers at night and uses its elongated finger to slit the throats of sleeping children. A: 'Hey, Tom, grab me a drink when youre heading to the bar, would ya' B: 'Aye aye, Captain What are you. An affirmative response to a request or order. A: 'Lower the mainsail, sailor.' B: 'Aye aye, Captain' 2. The aye-aye is to lemurs what Stephen King’s Pennywise is to clowns, at least according to local Malagasy legend. An affirmation that a request or order from the ships captain has been understood and will be carried out directly. This hunting technique makes the aye-aye the only known primate to echolocate its prey: hence its extraordinarily sensitive, bat-like ears. The animal taps its elongated middle finger against tree stumps to locate grubs, listening for the tell-tale echoes of hollow areas, which indicate the presence of food. Woodpeckers never made it to Madagascar, which meant the aye-aye could fill the niche for eating wood-boring grubs. Incredibly, the aye-aye has woodpeckers to thank for this latter adaptation. The aye-aye possesses rodent-like teeth that never stop growing, piercing eyes that allow it to forage at night and a middle finger so long and bony that it almost looks like a spider’s leg. Most of these primates are furry, cuddly-looking creatures, except one: the aye-aye. Lemurs exist only on the island of Madagascar.
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