Because I know YTers are a compassionate bunch...
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You've probably never seen an aye-aye. And you may never want to see one.
It's a bizarre, ugly-looking creature?sort of a cross between a wolverine, a koala, and a raccoon with big ears; yellowish, gremlinlike eyes; and a giant bushy tail.
Conservation biologists say this one-of-a-kind critter from Madagascar?which uses razor-sharp incisor teeth to tear off sections of tree bark, and a long, narrow middle finger to scoop out the insects inside?represents millions of years of independent evolution and is now verging on extinction.
Yes, we're talking about something grotesque here, so grotesque, in fact, that locals consider it to be an evil omen and kill the animal on sight.
But losing it would mean the collapse of an entire branch of the mammalian evolutionary tree. Unless the conservationists can persuade us to help protect an ugly and uncharismatic animal, all this genetic history will be gone forever.
How do you get people to care about an aye-aye?
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