aye-aye

Noun

aye-aye (plural aye-ayes)

1. The lemur Daubentonia madagascariensis, a solitary nocturnal quadruped found in Madagascar and remarkable for their long fingers, sharp nails, and rodent-like incisor teeth.
   • The other of these aberrant forms is the cheiromys, or aye-aye, which, from the peculiar form of its two lower front teeth, has been ranged with the Rodentia. In the general character, however, it is essentially a lemur; […]1849, “Order II.—Quadrumana, [from the Latin, quatuor, four, and manus, hand; four-handed.]”, in D[avid] M[eredith] Reese, editor, Elements of Zoology; or, Natural History of Animals. From the Last...
   • Of the other members of this group, the Aye Aye (Cheiromys), the Tarsier (Tarsius), the Propithecus, the Indri (Lichanotus), and the Cheirogaleus, are desiderata of which we can only hope to become possessed by the future exertions of zoologists who may obtain access to the countries in which they...1858, D[avid] W[illiam] Mitchell, Guide to the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London, London: Bradbury and Evans, 11, Bouverie Street, and at the [Zoological] Society [of London]'s Gardens in...