Etnologie-Aanwinste:
OUTENTIEK OF
REPLIKAP
In die a fd elin g E ln o lo g ie w o rd die m ense en k u llu re van die nie-E u ro p ese vo lkere in S n id e r -A fr ik a bestudeer. A a n g esien die B oesm an fe illik von die I one el v erd w yn hel en die B a n lo e in so ’n g ro o l m a le d eu r die h la n ke b eska w in g b e in v lo ed is, rank d il al hoe m o e ilik e r o m egle sio flik e k n ltu u r- goedere van h ierdie vo lkere le versam el. W elisw aar w o rd die m o d e rn e w eergaw es van sodanige vo o rw erp e o o k versam el, m a a r dil hel nie d ieselfd e waarde as die o u ten tiek e a n ik e ls nie.
D ie versam eling k le ip o lle, waarvan 'n ge- d eelle op die fo lo hiernaas a fg eb eeld is, is d eu r w yle m e v . W iley van B lo e m fo n te in aan die M u s e u m b em a a k. D il hel m eer as derlig jaar gelede tyd e n s 'n ly d p e rk van v er b ly f in L e so th o in besit van die W iley- gesin g e ko m . H o e w e l die E u ro p ese in vlo e d wel in so m m ig e van d ie p o tle m e rk b a a r is, is die tra d h io n ele k en m e rk e nog d u id e lik in hierdie b ela n g w e kk e n d e v ersam eling w aarneem baar.
ONE OF THE RAREST
OF MAMMALS
- Carl Lynch
T h ere is one sp ecimen o the pecu liar and rare aye-aye in the collection of the N a t i o nal M us eum . In the very first cat al ogue of the collection this sp ecimen is listed as n u m b e r five. N o m en tio n is m ad e of the date on which it was collected or obtained. P re s u m a b ly this is one o f the m o u n te d anim als pu rc h ase d in E u ro p e for this iVluseum by the late F. W. Fitzsimon s, f o u n d e r of the snake park in Port E li z a beth.
T h e aye-aye, D u u b e n io n ia m adagasctu iensis. which is endem ic to M alagasy, is certainly one of the rarest and mos t e ndangered m a m m als in the world. It is d o u b tf u l w h eth er m ore th an a b o u t fifty individuals remain in the wild slate. T h e giant aye-aye.
D . rob u sla , beca me extin ct in a b o u t 1930. In a final a tte m p t to sa feguard the aye-aye f rom extinction, fo u r males were t r a n s located in 1967 to the small island reserve of Nosi M a n g a b e, o f f the n o rth -east coasi o f M alaga sy .
T h e aye-aye is very different fro m the t r a ditional concept of a primate. G m e lin , who first de sc ribe d the a n im a l, believed it to be related to the squirrels and classified it a m o n g the Ro denti a. A lm ost a century passed before Owen, in 1860. finally establish ed it as an a b e r r a n t type o f lemur. Characte ristic s of p a rticu la r interest are its curved rode ntlike incisors which are ver\
large in relatio n to its skull, its canine teeth which are a b s e n t in the p e rm a n en t denti tio n, a n d the skull which is ra th e r like that of a squirrel but possesses st ructu ral affinities with the p rim a tes ’. Its brain, which is relatively large b u t o f very prim itive structu re, also conta ins feat ures indicating a link between the prim ates and other anim als.
By smell a n d a highly de veloped sense o f hearing it detects w o o d -b o a rin g larvae by ta pping its long thin finger. T h e larvae are then probed o u t by the sam e finger or by use of its rod ent-like incisors. T h is finger is also used fo r scoop ing out pu lp fro m fruits, for g ro o m in g itself a n d f o r drinking. T h e latter is d o n e by inserting the finger into the liquid and draw in g it rapidly sid e ways th ro u g h its m outh .
T h e aye-aye is essentially n o c tu rn a l and lives eith er singly or in pairs in the n o r t h eastern coastal forests of M alagasy . T h e female constructs a spherical nest in a tree consisting of rolle d-up leaves and lines it with twigs and dry leaves. T h e nest has a single open in g at the side. T h e fe m ale is believed to give birth to a single young.
D ie a ye-aye o f vingerdier van M a d a g a ska r is een van die skaarste soo g d ierso o rte in (lie u ereld . Slegs on g eveer v y ftig le e f nog in n iia tu u rlike stoat. D ie vingerdier is n le m u r Cn aapagnge s o o n so ogdier
