Preliminary observations on hand preference for tapping, digit-feeding and food-holding in captive aye-ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis).

Aye-ayes possess highly adapted hands, using their specialized third digits to investigate potential food sources by tapping and the third or fourth digits to transfer food to the mouth. Observations were conducted on 11 captive aye-ayes (10 wild-caught; 1 captive-bred) following presentation of food or novel objects, and hand use for holding, tapping and digit-feeding was scored. Eight of the individuals showed significant hand preferences for one or more of the 3 measures, although there was no consistent pattern. These preliminary results are compared to those from other lemur species.