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Mammals

'Omen of Evil' baby aye-aye born in North Carolina

By Chris Ciaccia Fox News
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And just in time for Halloween.

A baby aye-aye, also known as a long-fingered lemur, has been born at the Duke Lemur Center (DLC) in North Carolina, reports South West News Service, a British news agency.

Given the moniker Melisandre, the gentle creature weighed just 81 grams at birth. She is one of only nine at the DLC and 25 in the entire country, SWNS added.

A rare black aye-aye named Melisandre born at Duke Lemur Center, North Carolina, USA. (Credit: SWNS)

A rare black aye-aye named Melisandre born at Duke Lemur Center, North Carolina, USA. (Credit: SWNS)

'OMEN OF EVIL' BABY AYE-AYE LIVES IN DENVER ZOO

“They’re not at all aggressive, they’re extremely curious and energetic and they’re very intelligent — they learn very quickly," DLC curator Cathy Williams said in comments reported by SWNS.

Melisandre will be with her mother, Ardrey, for approximately two to three years while she learns to fend for herself, including looking for food, building a nest and other survival skills.

According to the DLC, aye-ayes have strange feeding habits, causing them to be "considered by many to be the strangest primate in the world."

The rare black aye-aye named Melisandre resembles a bat with its pointed ears, long bony fingers, and eyes that glow in the dark. (Credit: SWNS)

The rare black aye-aye named Melisandre resembles a bat with its pointed ears, long bony fingers, and eyes that glow in the dark. (Credit: SWNS)

Their diet largely consists of Ramy nuts, nectar from Traveller's Palm Tree, fungi and insect grubs.

"The animals are also known to raid coconut plantations, and have been seen eating lychees and mangoes, which are also plantation crops," the DLC added on its website.

Natives to Madagascar, aye-ayes are considered symbolic of death there and even considered an omen of evil. The aye-aye was thought to be extinct but was rediscovered in 1961, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The endangered species is so feared by those living on its native island of Madagascar that they are often killed on sight. (Credit: SWNS)

The endangered species is so feared by those living on its native island of Madagascar that they are often killed on sight. (Credit: SWNS)

In 2018, a baby aye-aye named Tonks was born at the Denver Zoo to parents Bellatrix and Smeagol.

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