Aye-Aye

Basic Information

The aye-aye is a lemur and the world's largest nocturnal primate. Found only in Madagascar, these omnivores use specially adapted tools - rat-like teeth to gnaw through the bark of trees, and a long, thin middle finger to locate grubs within, before scooping them out of the hole. In this sense, they are much like woodpeckers.

Some locals in Madagascar fear the aye-aye, portrayed as a symbol of death in ancient Malagasy legend. Fueled by their otherwordly appearance and abnormal fearlessness (especially toward humans), they are viewed as harbingers of evil itself, bringing with them claims of being able to conjure death with a single point of its middle finger, or even as far as sneaking into homes and murdering the sleeping occupants inside. They are often killed on sight by locals, contributing to their threatened existence.

See also: 13 Real Animals Lifted Directly Out of Your Nightmares

Sources

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia

2. National Geographic

2. Cracked

Game and Story Use

• Their almost extraterrestrial features would make for a great hybrid.
  • Or maybe they're completely extraterrestrial…
• Maybe those locals were right all along.
  • Aye-aye could actually be some sort of demon.
  • Or maybe they're actually misjudged, benevolent forest spirits.
    • Which raises the question of why they were hunted in the first place…
• Aye-ayes make for a sufficient source of Nightmare Fuel.
• An aye-aye finger might be a useful power component for a magical weapon similar to a pointing-bone - or just a component or charm for a death spell in general.