Born to Antonia and Gordian on 1/6/17, Gothicus had the lowest birth weight (76g) of any surviving sifaka infant ever born at the DLC. He was hand fed around the clock by the vet dept for nearly a week. He's now thriving, thanks to our amazing vet staff and techs.
Little Gothicus is growing up! Here he is at 4 months old.
Meet Furia, our 2nd infant of the season and granddaughter of the famous Zoboomafoo!
Furia was born on 1/10/17 to parents Gisela and Rupert. You may remember Furia’s older brother, Hostilian, as last year’s “blizzard baby” who arrived during a “hostile” winter storm!
Infant sifakas cling to their moms' bellies for the first 3-4 weeks of life.
Furia, a week shy of her two-month anniversary, is riding her mom Gisela's back, sampling new foods, and need we say it, looking adorable!
Furia and Gisela "hanging around" on April 12 - a gorgeous spring day!
Meet Warble, a pygmy slow loris born 1/18/2017 to parents Junebug and Nox!
Warble made her public debut as a featured story in the Duke Chronicle!
Welcome to the world, Warble!
This girl is growing up so fast! Here, Warble sits prettily during a routine weigh-in.
This March, the DLC welcomed TWO critically endangered blue-eyed black lemur infants into the family! Here, meet McKinnon! She was born 3/22/2017 to parents Wiig and Hiddleston.
Blue-eyed black lemur infants cling to their mothers for the first weeks of life. Here, McKinnon and Wiig explore Duke Forest.
Meet Poehler, born 3/23/17 to parents West and Quinn!
3-month-old McKinnon and Wiig breakfasting during a Walking with Lemurs tour on 6/21/17.
McKinnon, 3 months old.
3-day-old Nacho, a critically endangered mongoose lemur!
Nacho, pictured here at 6 days old, was born on April 4 to parents Carolina and Duggan. Such a cutie!
Wrapped tightly around his mother's belly, Nacho peeks around a branch at photographer David Haring.
1-month-old Nacho clings snugly to Carolina as she bounds through their Natural Habitat Enclosure.
2.5-month-old Nacho, getting a bit big to ride on momma's back... !
Bright-eyed Bijou, an endangered female collared lemur born April 4 to parents Odette and Quintin.
Month-old Bijou clings to her momma, Odette. Welcome to the world, Bijou!
Bijou, 3 months old.
Meet Ma'at, a crowned lemur infant born 4/29/2017 to parents Seshat and Mosi!
Infant Ma'at with parents Seshat and Mosi and siblings Seshen and Kek.
At 72 days old, Ma’at is thriving! Here he enjoys the security and added vantage point of his mom’s back as he samples fresh grape leaves.
Rupi with Magdalena, niece of the famous Zoboomafoo!
Magdalena, born May 14, 2017 to parents Rupi and Luther.
Rupi with Magdalena.
It's been a banner year for the DLC's blue-eyed black lemurs! Meet Leigh, born 5/11/17 to parents Margret and Tarantino.
Shezmu, born 5/25/17 to first-time parents Sanura and Zuberi, joins Ma'at as our second crowned lemur infants of the season!
Buzz, a critically endangered red ruffed lemur, was born 5/30/17 to parents Pyxis and Borealis!
Buzz with his momma, Pyxis.
Buzz with his big brother, 2-year-old Bode.
Welcome to the world, Buzz!
Meet Mallard, a fat-tailed dwarf lemur born 6/12/17!
Mallard being weighed. What a cutie!
Meet Agatha, a rare aye-aye born to parents Medusa and Poe!
Agatha is the first aye-aye born at the DLC in six years.
Aye-ayes are the world’s largest nocturnal primates.
Agatha is named after the "Queen of Mystery," author Agatha Christie.
Welcome to the world, Agatha!
Meet Timothy, our newest grey mouse lemur!
Timothy was born on August 8, 2017 to parents Jicama and Wandering Willie.
Eustace, our last infant of 2017!
Eustace was born on November 3, 2017 to Rodelinda and Marcus. Welcome to the world, Eustace!
It’s birth season here at the Duke Lemur Center!
Birth season began this January with the arrivals of sifakas Gothicus (1/6) and Furia (1/10), our first babies of the year! Different species breed and give birth at different times, so infants should continue arriving through July and even August, concluding with the last mouse and dwarf lemur births. As birth season draws to a close, the cycle begins anew, kicking off with breeding season for sifaka.
Over the past 50 years, the Duke Lemur Center has celebrated more than 3285 births. But baby lemurs aren’t just cute; they’re crucial to the survival of their species and for the groundbreaking research that goes on here at the DLC (for example, the use of mouse lemurs in the study of Alzheimer’s). This marks the first in a series of posts exploring how the DLC determines which lemurs are bred, what ‘baby watch’ is like for techs and vet staff, and why it’s so important to increase populations of these rare and amazing animals.
Bookmark this page and check it often. Not only will we link to new written content, but we’ll also add gallery images of our infants as they arrive!
May 2017 — A critically endangered mongoose lemur and an endangered collared lemur are born at the DLC! Welcome to the world, Nacho and Bijou!
May 2017 — Baby Nacho was featured in DukeToday! Read about the challenges and rewards of birth season in “Little Lemurs Equal Big Jobs.”
June 2017 — Meet Magdalena, the newest family member of the famous Zoboomafoo! The News & Observer published a delightful recap of the DLC’s birth season from January ’til June, complete with video of Gisela with baby Furia! Check it out HERE.
Question 1: How does the DLC decide which lemurs to breed?
Are you dying to know something baby-related? Send us your questions via the form below. We can’t promise to feature them all, but you might just see them posted on the blog!
The last question is for visitor verification – to confirm that you’re human, not a spam robot.
