# Aye-aye (*Daubentonia madagascariensis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/aye-aye  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a medium-sized mammal in the primate family Daubentoniidae, suborder Strepsirrhini. It is nocturnal and arboreal; its diet category is listed as herbivore and its trophic level as omnivore. Adults weigh 2.5 kg, with values up to 2.61 kg reported, and the lifespan is given as 23.27 years, with values up to 32.3 years. The IUCN Red List classifies the aye-aye as Endangered (EN), a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 2.5 kg – 2.61 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 23.3 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 32.3 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 158 days – 172 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 2.41 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Arboreal |
| Conservation status | Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Primates
- family: Daubentoniidae
- genus: Daubentonia
- species: *Daubentonia madagascariensis* (Gmelin, 1788)

Synonyms: *Cheiromys madagascariensis laniger*, *Lemur psilodactylus*, *Sciurus madagascariensis*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the aye-aye?

The aye-aye is a mammal, a primate in the family Daubentoniidae and suborder Strepsirrhini.

### How heavy is the aye-aye?

Adult Aye-ayes weigh 2.5 kg, with values up to 2.61 kg reported.

### Is the aye-aye endangered?

Yes. The IUCN Red List classifies it as Endangered (EN), a threatened category.

### How long does the aye-aye live?

Its lifespan is given as 23.27 years, with values up to 32.3 years reported.

### What does the aye-aye eat?

Its diet category is listed as herbivore, while its trophic level is given as omnivore.

### How many young does the aye-aye have?

The aye-aye has 1 young per litter and 1 litter per year, after a gestation of 167 days.

### When does the aye-aye reach sexual maturity?

It reaches sexual maturity at 882 days, or 2.4 years.

### Who named the aye-aye?

Its scientific name, Daubentonia madagascariensis, carries the authority (Gmelin, 1788).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/aye-aye