One of the Rarest Species 'Baby Aye-Aye' Welcomed into the World in Denver Zoo

One of the rarest and most hideous-looking creatures alive was warmly welcomed into the world last month by biologists at the Denver Zoo.

While 'Tonk,' the aye-aye, isn't easy on the eyes, and might be considered an 'omen of evil' in parts of Africa, she's still very important in the animal kingdom.

It's unknown how many of this particular breed of lemur are alive in the wild, but in the US, only 24 exist, living in seven zoos.

'Now 3 of these elusive nocturnal lemurs, often considered the strangest primates on earth, live at Denver Zoo,' the account for the establishment tweeted on Thursday. 



The distinction of being considered to be so strange is thanks to the aye-aye's bizarre appearance and unusual eating habits, according to the Duke Lemur Center.

Even given their shocking looks, they're notoriously difficult to spot because they spend all of their lives in trees, where they use their elongated, twig-like fingers to pry insects from bark. 


The largest nocturnal primate, aye-ayes are also the only primates with perpetual growing teeth, like rodents.

This particular breed of lemur is native to Madagascar, where some cultures consider its presence to be an omen of evil.


But no one is Denver was bothered when Tonk arrived on the scene.

The new addition was born to parents, Bellatrix and Smeagol, who as adults are luckily a little more pleasing to look at.

For now, Tonk has a mostly hairless face and bat-like arms, minus the redeeming wings.

When she grows up, she should fill out a bit, with fur expected to grow in to cover the skin on her face.

For now, Tonk will make herself scarce for the next few months as she grows into her looks in the nesting box at the Denver Zoo.


Visit Denzver Zoo and Buy Ticket: https://goo.gl/PUon28
Music: "Unwritten Return" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Source: Daily Mail, Denver Zoo, Nat Geo

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