'Tonks' The Baby Aye-Aye Makes Appearance At Denver Zoo

DENVER, CO – An endangered Madagascar aye-aye baby at the Denver Zoo with bushy fur, giant eyes and a Harry Potter-derived name is finally emerging from her nesting box and "starting to actively explore her habitat," the Zoo said Thursday.

"Tonks" was born on Aug. 8 to mother Bellatrix, and dad, Smeagol, who live in the Emerald Forest habitat at the zoo. The family of aye-ayes are part of a rare cohort of 24 of the endangered lemurs in U.S. zoos.

The aye-aye is native to remote regions of Madagascar. The nocturnal species is classified as "endangered" on world wildlife lists.

Aye-ayes have evolved to have some of the traits of bats. They are thought to be the only primate species to use echolocation to find food. Aye-ayes have "coarse dark hair, long bushy tails, rodent-like teeth, piercing eyes and skeletal hands that feature extra-long middle fingers with hooked claws," according to a zoo description. The primates weigh only a few ounces at birth and grow to up to 5 lbs. as adults. They can live up to 20 years, the zoo said.

Lead Primate Keeper Becky Sturges offered the following tips for visitors to help spot the aye-aye family:
1. Visit Early…and Late: The best times to spot the aye-ayes is soon after the Zoo opens around 10:30 a.m. and late in the afternoon, when Tonks tends to play and explore to burn off her last amount of energy before bedtime.

2. Let Your Eyes Adjust: Spend at least five minutes letting your eyes adjust to the darkness in the exhibit and keep cell phone lights off.

3. Look Up: Tonks is very adventurous and likes to explore the entire habitat, but she tends to spend more time on branches in the higher areas, Sturges said.

You can learn more about the zoo's history with aye-aye's here.

Images via Denver Zoo

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