Daubentonia madagascariensis

9.9

A lemur from Madagascar active at night with a long thin middle finger to find insects in tree bark

noun

Specialized

: Daubentonia madagascariensis

The Daubentonia madagascariensis is notable for its unusual method of finding insects inside tree bark.

Examples

Conservationists are working to protect Daubentonia madagascariensis from habitat loss in Madagascar.
Many tourists to Madagascar hope to spot a Daubentonia madagascariensis during night safaris.
The Daubentonia madagascariensis is unique to Madagascar.
Have you ever seen a Daubentonia madagascariensis in the wild?
Many tourists to Madagascar hope to spot a Daubentonia madagascariensis during night safaris.
Conservationists are working to protect Daubentonia madagascariensis from habitat loss in Madagascar.
The Daubentonia madagascariensis is notable for its unusual method of finding insects inside tree bark.

Synonyms

aye-aye

vsDaubentonia madagascariensis

1 9.9

A night animal from Madagascar with a very long thin middle finger for getting insects from trees

is the formal scientific name used for the same species

Surface Forms

Daubentonia madagascariensis singular

Daubentonia madagascariensises plural

Morphology

Daubentonia + madagascariensis

This is a regular binomial scientific name composed of a genus (Daubentonia = a group of lemurs) plus an adjectival species epithet (madagascariensis = ‘from Madagascar’). If a learner knows both constituents, the meaning ‘a species of Daubentonia native to Madagascar (the aye-aye)’ is directly derivable by ordinary compositional logic and by common cross-linguistic naming conventions.

Etymology

Daubentonia madagascariensis is named after the naturalist Daubenton: Daubentonia comes from his name and madagascariensis means 'from Madagascar'. So the name is like 'Daubenton's animal from Madagascar' and it refers to the strange night lemur called the 'aye-aye', famous for its long thin middle finger used to find insects.