This blog may help people explore some of the 'hidden' issues involved in certain media treatments of environmental and scientific issues. Using personal digital images, it's also intended to emphasise seasonal (and other) changes in natural history of the Swansea (South Wales) area. The material should help participants in field-based modules and people generally interested in the natural world. The views are wholly those of the author.
Thursday, 27 October 2022
A Nose for the Job?
The Aye-aye is a nocturnal relative of the lemurs that lives on Madagascar. This prosimian has a middle finger, about 8 cm long, it uses to tap wood to locate the grubs on which it feeds. There is, however, video footage of captive Aye-ayes, picking their noses with their elongated digit, before eating the mucus (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/27/researchers-reveal-secret-aye-aye-long-middle-finger-pick-nose). Nose picking has been recorded in at least 11 other primate species, including humans. The precise reason for nose picking is uncertain. It could be simply part of self-cleaning or even be a means of increasing resistance to potentially infective agents. The Aye-aye must, however, be the nose picker par excellence.
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