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The time is now
Lemurs are the most endangered mammals on Earth
about
Duke Lemur Center
Founded in 1966 on the campus of Duke University in Durham, NC, the Duke Lemur Center is a world leader in the study, care, and protection of lemurs—Earth’s most threatened group of mammals.
With more than 200 animals across 13 species, the DLC houses the world’s most diverse population of lemurs outside their native Madagascar.
Our Mission
To advance science, scholarship, and biological conservation through non-invasive research, community-based conservation, and public outreach and education.
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Happy 32nd birthday to the DLC's oldest diurnal lemur, Licinius 🥳
Ring-tailed lemur Licinius is the second oldest lemur currently living at the DLC (after 38-year-old aye-aye Poe). This sweet, gentle male is the father to a number of DLC residents, including his youngest twins, Merry and Eowyn, who turn one year old later this week. In his free time, Licinius enjoys finger (and tail) painting, sunbathing, scent marking on sticks, snacking on fruit, and cuddling up with his family. You may have met Licinius on a Behind the Scenes or Walking with Lemurs tour, purchased one of his paintings, or fallen in love with him from afar via his frequent features on social media 🥰
Our keepers are making sure Licinius and his family get extra snacks today to celebrate! You can send a birthday treat from our Amazon wishlist in honor of this handsome lemur at lemur.duke.edu/wishlist ✨
📸: Sara Nicholson (1,8); David Haring (2,6); Sarah K. (3); Sara Sorraia (5); Allie Monahan (7) ... See MoreSee Less
7 CommentsComment on Facebook
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Happy Birthday Licinius.
Happy Birthday Licinus!! 🥳
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Happy Sunday afternoon from Coquerel’s sifakas Gisela and Arcadius 🌦️
While we have a very rainy Sunday today in North Carolina, the lemurs are more than content to cuddle up in their warm, dry indoor enclosures. Momma Gisela and five-month-old Arcadius snack on winged sumac, a non-toxic type of sumac native to North Carolina. Because fresh leaves are a crucial part of a sifaka’s diet, our fantastic husbandry technicians collect massive harvests of winged sumac at the end of the summer to freeze over the winter. Then, they’re able to thaw portions of leaves each day for the sifakas’ afternoon meal, even while the trees in our forest are bare! The lemurs appreciate the delicious food, and we appreciate all of the hard work and dedication that our husbandry team puts into caring for the most diverse collection of lemurs outside of Madagascar 🌿
🎥: Abby Flyer ... See MoreSee Less
5 CommentsComment on Facebook
Thanks for all the great things you do for the lemurs. I know they appreciate it!
Love that Gisela!!
Wond wonderful that they do this.
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Binx grooming his claws 🥹
While most lemurs (and primates in general) have nails, aye-ayes have claws! The only claws that most lemurs possess are their grooming claws, found on the index toe of each back foot. Aye-ayes, however, have claws on all but their big toes of their back feet, and those claws aid in their unique percussive foraging 💙
Curious about the difference between nails and claws? Nails are broad and flat, and they only cover the tops of fingers, while claws are long and narrow, ending at a point and extending beyond the fingertips. Both nails and claws are made of keratin, a tough protein also found in horns and hair. Our primate ancestors likely evolved nails to improve grip and sensitivity when climbing trees! 🤩
📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less
5 CommentsComment on Facebook
I did not know this! Thanks for sharing.
Amazing !
Bink is gorgeous.
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🤩 TOMORROW 🤩
Good news: we have the weather and staffing to run an off-season General Tour this Saturday 3/15! Like our summer General Tours, this tour is an open house format, and guests can arrive any time before 11:30am to walk around and see the lemurs. Because the lemurs' housing needs may mildly affect their visibility to guests, we are offering a discounted off-season rate of $15 per person for ages 13+ and $12 per person for ages 3-12 (children 2 and under are free) 🥳
Tickets MUST be purchased in advance to attend! Tickets and information are available on our website at lemur.duke.edu/GT 🎟
📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentComment on Facebook
I pray it fills up.
Arcadius and mama Gisela enjoy some fresh maple flowers 🌸
Coquerel's sifaka Arcadius, the first infant of our 2025 baby season, is already five months old! While first time sifaka moms often let their infants ride on their backs until six or seven months old, Gisela is an experienced mom. Because Arcadius is her sixth offspring, she's already started nipping at his hands when he tries to grab onto her back, encouraging him to become more independent. As he grows bigger and less dependent on Gisela, Arcadius has become an avid fan of snacking on leaves, hopping around his enclosure, and wrestling with big brother Silas 🥹
📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less
3 CommentsComment on Facebook
Such a cutie ❤️
Love that pair !! Gisela’s such a good mommy!
Love it.
Red ruffed lemur twins Kitt and Hubble enjoy a warm spring day out in their forest enclosure ☀️
➡️ lemur.duke.edu/onsite-tours
While we’re still in our off-season until May 5th, we’ve been able to add Walking with Lemurs tours week-of when we have the necessary weather and staffing. For the most up-to-date information on tours for a given week, check out the Lemur Tours page on our website, which lists all of the available tours for a given week. Our education team is hard at work scheduling as many tours as possible so that guests can enjoy this spurt of warm weather as much as the lemurs do! If we don’t have information about a given day posted, it either means that we aren’t able to add any additional tours or we have to wait until later in the week to make an official call 💙
We also run our Behind the Scenes tours and Wild Workshops throughout the off-season, so check out our website for information on those programs! All visits to the Duke Lemur Center require a reservation in advance, and all tickets can be purchased through our website 😊
🎥: Abby Flyer ... See MoreSee Less
13 CommentsComment on Facebook
A gorgeous day to catch some rays! You two are so BEAUTIFUL❤️❤️
What a beautiful little pair they make! ❤️
Lemurs sunbathing is well known. It is very cute. 😊
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It's here: the 2025 edition of the DLC's official magazine! 🤩
➡️ lemur.duke.edu/magazine
Learn all about the DLC's lemurs, researchers, veterinary care, fossils, and more! In "The Where Issue," we're highlighting the work we do around the globe, from North Carolina to Madagascar and everywhere in between. You can check out the free PDF on our website or buy your own copy at our Lemur Landing Gift Shop. Donors of $250+ annually (at the time of the magazine's publication) will be mailed a complimentary copy of that year's magazine! You can join our Giving Societies and help support lemur care and conservation at lemur.duke.edu/donate 💙 ... See MoreSee Less
6 CommentsComment on Facebook
Is it a subscription?
Very informative issue! Beautiful photos too
Can’t wait!😍
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A block of wood is no match for a hungry aye-aye 😋 Three-year-old Binx, the youngest of the DLC’s ten aye-ayes, shows off the signature aye-aye percussive foraging technique on his worm feeder. As part of our aye-ayes’ diets, we prepare hollow blocks of wood filled with live worms. These mimic the bug-filled branches and logs in which wild aye-ayes forage. With his uniquely evolved tapping finger, Binx taps repeatedly on the wood and listens with his sensitive ears to determine where the delicious worms are hiding. He then chews into the block with his rodent-like incisors, which can break through almost any material, to create a hole through which to scoop out his snack. What a skilled animal! 😱 [🎥: Abby Flyer] ... See MoreSee Less
12 CommentsComment on Facebook
This is absolutely beautiful! Nature never ceases to amaze!
It's so good that you provide stimulation for them!
My fav animal in the world! I had the chance to see them few times in Madagascar in their natural environment in Bekar Aoka forest.
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No better cure for the #SundayScaries than the DLC's littlest Coquerel's sifaka, Majorian 🤩
Curled up safely on mom Lupicina's belly, Majorian investigates some fresh branches of maple flowers. Lemur infants learn what foods are safe to eat by stealing them from their mothers, and Lupicina is an enthusiastic fan of snacking on fresh flowers. While Majorian still gets most of his nutrients by nursing on mom, he's started trying out small pieces of solid food as he explores the world around him 🌸
📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less
7 CommentsComment on Facebook
Adorable
They are so adorable!!
Those pictures make my day.
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Thanks to ABC11 WTVD for sharing the great news about Majorian's birth! To clarify, there isn't an in-person baby shower, but you can send gifts like nut butters, beans, and baby food through our Amazon wishlist to help support new mom Lupicina 💙
www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/373AW0NFW38GY/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1 ... See MoreSee Less
Duke Lemur Center in Durham welcomes new member to family
abc11.com
According to the center, baby lemurs are a crucial part of the DLC's conservation breeding program which has had over 3,400 births since its founding in 1966.2 CommentsComment on Facebook
So sweet 💚❤️
Adorable