Locomotion of an adult female and juvenile male aye‐aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) in Torotorofotsy, Madagascar

Abstract

Aye-ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis) locate and acquire invertebrates from within woody substrates at all levels of the rainforest; yet how their locomotion helps them accommodate this diet has not been explored in detail. We studied the locomotor behavior of an adult female (N = 1,085) and juvenile male (N = 708) ayeaye in the undisturbed forest of Torotorofotsy, Madagascar from May to December 2017. We used bout sampling to record locomotion during foraging and travel of the two radio-collared individuals. We used χ 2 tests to compare overall locomotion, travel, and foraging, as well as strata and support use. We performed a correspondence analysis to examine relationships between individual behaviors, strata, and support types. Leaping accounted for 47.9% and 50.1% of all locomotor activity in the adult female and juvenile male, respectively. Leaping was the most common behavior during travel in both individuals (59.2% and 53.9%, respectively), whereas head-first descent was most frequent during foraging (35.0% and 48.0%, respectively). For all three locomotor categories, the main canopy (40.3%-79.6%) was used most frequently and trunks were the most frequently used support type (50.7%-60.0%). There is a strong association between strata and support use overall and during travel. Quadrupedal walking was significantly associated with the main canopy, as was head-first descent with the low canopy. Our analysis demonstrates that aye-ayes use a variety of locomotor behaviors to forage for invertebrates.Aye-ayes' ability to repurpose their positional repertoire to acquire other resources in degraded forests should not obscure the importance of invertebrates to this species.

A conceptual framework for assessing behavioral flexibility of species in response to extreme climatic events

“…These attributes have been associated with the aye-aye’s dietary flexibility, which includes the consumption of insect larvae, adult insects, seeds, nectar, and cankers (small areas of dead plant tissues) 51 . The aye-aye also is characterized by a highly diverse locomotor repertoire 51 , 52 . Unfortunately, the ongoing pace of human-induced habitat transformation across Madagascar (90% of Madagascar’s forests have been cut 53 ), means that elements of behavioral flexibility selected for in response to ECEs, may no longer be sufficiently effective to ensure population persistence under conditions of extreme environmental degradation.…”