Aye-aye/ Golden Lion Tamarin/ Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemur/ Kakapo/ Malabar Large Spotted Civet/ Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat / Northern Muriquis/ Okapi
Aye-ayes, scientific name Daubentonia madagascariensis, are the largest nocturnal primates in the world. They are also the only primate thought to use echolocation, which they use to find grubs up to 2cm deep in a tree.
Aye-ayes are approximately 40 cm in length and have a long, coarse coat of black or brown fur, tipped with white. They have large eyes, surrounded by black rings. Their ears are large and they have a long, slender middle finger with a long claw, used for extracting insects from tree holes
Aye-ayes live in eastern Madagascar in rain forests, dry forests, mangroves and bamboo thickets. Aye-ayes live alone or in pairs. They are nocturnal, and make elaborate sleeping nests to sleep in during the day. Aye-ayes are arboreal and move quadrupedally.
Aye-ayes are particularly adept at finding wood-boring larvae. They tap on wood with their middle finger, listening for hollow spaces. They then extract the larvae with their specially-adapted thin finger. They also feed on seeds, fruit, nectar and fungi.
They are thought to be the most endangered of all mammals in Madagascar.
The Golden Lion Tamarin, scientific name Leontopithecus rosalia, lives in the country of Brazil. He dwells in the lowland tropical forest of the Amazon and the forest of Rio Sao Joao. His habitat only covers 900 square kilometers.
The golden lion tamarin is diurnal and predominantly arboreal. It retires at dusk and sleeps until after sunrise. This tamarin is usually found at heights of 3 - 10 m (10 - 30 ft) above the forest floor. There it sleeps at night in tangled vegetation or, more often, in a hole in a tree, such as an abandoned woodpecker nest.
They are omnivorous and 80% of their diet consists of fruits. The remaining 20% consists of gum, nectar, insects, and small vertebrates. Golden lion tamarins actively search crevices, bark, bromeliads, and other hiding places for their prey. The bromeliads host many insects and small vertebrates that are important tamarin foods. The bromeliads are also an important water source.
The head and body length of the golden lion tamarin is 20 - 34 cm (8 - 13"). The tail is even longer. Golden lion tamarins weigh 0.41 - 0.65 g (0.90 - 1.4 lb). Males are larger than females.
The Hairy-eared dwarf lemur, scientific name Allocebus trichotis, lives in Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands. It lives primarily in lowland rain forests. The actual diet of this animal is not known, but it has sharp claws and teeth structure so it is speculated to feed on plant gums. It may also be adapted to eating nectar with its long tongue.
The kakapo’s scientific name is Strigops habroptilus which means owl-like. Kakapo, the common name, means night parrot. The kakapo lives in New Zealand, and its habitats can range from lowland forests to mountain grasslands.
The kakapo lives off the roots, seeds, fruits, bulbs, flowers, leaves, cones, and pollen of many different plants. The diet varies according to which food plants are available.
The kakapo is extinct on the mainland. The last survivors have been moved onto three off-shore islands—Codfish, Maud, and Little Barrier. The islands they live on today are all reserves with no predators except kiore (Polynesian Rats).
The Malabar Large Spotted Civet, scientific name Viverra megaspila, lives in Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Vietnam on wooded plains and hill slopes. They are believed to eat small mammals, eggs, and some vegetation.
Their long coat is a grayish buff color, with large mottled black spots. Their tail is banded with black along the top and the tip. They have a black crest of longer fur along their back.They are approximately 30- 34 inches in length and they weigh between 14- 17.6 pounds.
The large spotted civet is solitary, and can be very aggressive towards members of its own species. They are believed to forage entirely on the ground, as they have never been observed in the trees. They are nocturnal, and spend the day sleeping in thick vegetation.
The Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat is a strong, heavily-built marsupial. Its distinctive, squarish muzzle is covered with short brown hairs. It can weigh up to 40 kg (88 lb) and measure more than one meter (3.3') long. Although wombats would seem to be slow and clumsy, they can move up to 40 km/h (25 mph) over a short distance.
Grasses compose most of their diet. One young is born per litter. The northern hairy-nosed wombat is nocturnal, spending the day in a burrow and coming out at night to feed. It is completely terrestrial and well equipped with short, powerful legs and long, strong claws for digging its large, often complex system of burrows.
The preferred habitat is flat, semi-arid grassland with deep, sandy soils and open acacia and eucalyptus woodland along inland river systems, where there are patches of dense scrub and ground cover consisting of native grasses.
The greatest current threat to its survival is the fact that it exists in only one small population in Australia, leaving it vulnerable to a local catastrophe such as a disease outbreak or a prolonged drought.
Northern muriquis, scientific name Brachyteles hypoxanthus, have gray, yellow or brown fur; a heavy body; and long limbs. They can weigh up to 15 kg (33 lb). Found in the remnants of the Atlantic coastal forest in Brazil, muriquis are arboreal and diurnal and eat mostly leaves, fruit and flowers.
Troops of muriquis have been observed to include from 8 - 43 individuals. They generally contain approximately equal numbers of adult males and adult females. A single young is usually born during the dry season (May - September).
The range of muriquis may originally have included all Atlantic coastal forests of eastern and southeastern Brazil. Currently, they are found in highly fragmented subpopulations with low density. Reasons for the decline of the muriquis include hunting for food by local natives, the use of infants as pets, and habitat loss due to clearing of forests for agriculture and human habitation. Currently, the major threats are commercial logging in privately owned forests and illegal hunting in federally or state-owned forests.
Okapi, scientific name Okapia johnstoni, is a nocturnal ruminant mammal in the giraffe family. It inhabits the almost sunless rain forests of the upper Congo and feeds on leaves.
Its shape is reminiscent of a giraffe's, but it is smaller, with a much shorter neck. It is deep reddish brown with black and white zebra-striped legs. Its head is giraffe like and in the male bears blunt skin-covered horns.
The okapi was unknown to zoologists until the beginning of the 20th century. It is classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Artiodactyls, family Giraffidae.