The Wonders of God’s Creation
“The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them their meat [food] in due season.” Psalms 145:15.
The unusual little aye-aye is about 15 inches long plus a two-foot-long tail. It is found only on the island of Madagascar off the coast of southeast Africa. Its distinctive cry of “I-I” caused the natives to make that its name, which we now spell in English “aye-aye.” It is a member of the lemur family.
A night-time feeder, it is rarely seen, spending most of the daylight hours curled up in a ball-shaped nest in the hidden fork of a large tree. Sometimes it grooms itself with its long fingers during the day.
Its appearance is rather unusual, distinguished by its pale-brown smooth face and white chin, sharp red eyes and alert black ears. The rest of its body is covered with long, silky, rust-colored or grayish-black hair, darker along its back than on its stomach and legs. Its head is broad at the top, but tapers to a narrow point at its small mouth and chin. Because of its rather spooky-looking eyes, the natives have long thought that it has an evil spirit and avoid touching it. But that is just superstition, and the aye-aye is not inclined to harm anyone.
The most interesting thing about it is the middle finger of each front hand (paw). This finger is twice the length of the other four fingers and as thin as a birthday cake candle. Armed with a long sharp nail and hinged in the middle, this finger is the principal means of catching much of the aye-aye’s food.
Its sensitive ears pick up the sound of an almost-silent grub or insect inside a tree trunk or fallen log. With its strong teeth it immediately chews a hole in the wood, through which this spindly finger penetrates, grabbing an insect and bringing it out to eat, returning again and again until no more victims remain. These slender fingers are also helpful in removing bark to expose tidbits, as well as scooping out the insides of fallen coconuts, and are even used by the animal as a toothpick!
The aye-aye’s food is not just insects. It is also fond of fruit and their juices, often dangling by its legs from the branches to get at ripe, juicy treats. It considers sugar cane a special treat, tearing off pieces of the stalks with its strong teeth and chewing the sweet juiciness from them.
The aye-aye is another example of the Creator’s marvelous works, some of which are never seen by human eyes, but which, as our opening verse tells us, are always under His watchful care, whether in the darkness of night or light of day.
There are foolish people who think their activities are hidden from God, but the Bible tells us: “For His eyes are upon the ways of man, and He seeth all his goings.” Job 34:21. True happiness is only found in knowing the Lord Jesus as our Saviour and Friend, trusting in Him every day for every event of our lives.
ML-10/09/1988