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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 14 species, the DLC houses the world’s largest and most diverse population of lemurs outside their native Madagascar.
To advance science, scholarship, and biological conservation through non-invasive research, community-based conservation, and public outreach and education.
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Happy birthday to blue-eyed black lemur Poots! 🥳
Poots celebrated her 11th birthday today with a special treat prepared by Keeper Kathryn: a primate biscuit and applesauce cake, topped with blueberry banana baby food and a strawberry, sprinkled with redbud flowers. This lovely lady is known for her voracious appetite and her finger painting skills. She spent many years as a companion to DLC sweetheart Kidman, and she now lives with new breeding partner Mangamaso 💙
📸: Jodi S. (1); Kathryn F. (2,3) ... See MoreSee Less
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THIS SATURDAY: dig into primate evolution with the Duke Lemur Center Museum of Natural History's FREE open house! 🔍
✅ Where: 1013 Broad Street (NOT the main DLC campus!)
✅ When: Saturday 3/30 from 1-4pm
✅ What: Take a look at the DLC's expansive fossil collection and our exhibit showcasing the evolutionary journey of lemurs at humans. Uncover the primate origin story and view fossils of extinct giant lemurs that roamed the island of Madagascar in the not-too-distant past!
✅ How much: FREE!!!!
Want to learn more? Visit lemur.duke.edu/fossil 💀
📸: Bob Karp ... See MoreSee Less
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Photos from Working's post ... See MoreSee Less
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Fresh redbud for some of our Eulemur pairs! 🌸
Yesterday afternoon, Keeper Kate brought some beautiful redbud branches to non-breeding companions Velona and Siwa and breeding couple Aria and Mosi. You may notice that Velona looks a little different from the three crowned lemurs—that’s because she’s a blue-eyed black lemur! 💙
Sometimes odd numbers of lemurs lead to interesting mixed-species companion pairs like Velona and crowned lemur male Siwa. Blue-eyed black lemurs (Eulemur flavifrons) and crowned lemurs (Eulemur coronatus) are members of the same genus, so while they’re not the same species, they communicate through similar scents, vocalizations, and behavioral cues. It’s sort of like one person speaking Spanish and another speaking Italian—while they’re not using the exact same language, they’re similar enough that they can understand one another 🥰
🎥: Kate O. ... See MoreSee Less
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Baby Pax gets her first taste of redbud! 🌸
Coquerel's sifakas like two-month-old Pax are folivores, which means their diets consist primarily of leaves. They also enjoy flowers, like redbud and tulip poplar, that our husbandry staff and volunteer photographers can gather on our 100-acre grounds. Pax still gets the majority of her nutrients through nursing, but she's eager to explore new tasty treats! 😋
📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less
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Celebrating #selfiesunday with old man Poe 😝
Did you know that 37-year-old Poe is one of the original founders of the population of aye-ayes in human care? Poe was born in the wild in Madagascar and was one of the first two aye-ayes to come to North America back in 1987. He still looks just as handsome, almost four decades later! 🥰
📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less
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Of all the animals on Earth, why are we so passionate about lemurs? Of all the islands in the ocean, why is Madagascar remarkable—and so worthy of our conservation attention? 🤔
In the latest issue of the DLC magazine, you’ll find out!
➡️ lemur.duke.edu/magazine
The "Why" Issue of our official magazine addresses the core mission of the DLC: why do we do what we do? Featuring articles from DLC staff, interns, and collaborators, as well as gorgeous images from our volunteer photographers, this issue is infused with the curiosity and tenacity that define the DLC 💙
Donors, check your mailboxes! Complimentary copies of the magazine have been mailed to donors of $250+ annually. Copies are also available for purchase in the DLC’s gift shop, or downloadable free online! 📬 ... See MoreSee Less
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💕 Welcome to the family, Pax! 💖
On January 20, we welcomed the second infant of our 2024 baby season: critically endangered Coquerel's sifaka female Pax, born to parents Magdalena and Gratian. Pax was born at a healthy 103 grams—about the weight of an avocado!—and is named after the Roman goddess of peace. Mom Magdalena is the niece of Jovian, aka Zoboomafoo, making baby Pax his newest grandniece 🥹
Read all about this little bundle of joy and her adorable family at lemur.duke.edu/pax ✨
📸: David Haring (1,3,4); Sara Sorraia (2) ... See MoreSee Less
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Hanging out with Ruby and fam on a chilly morning ❤️
Red ruffed lemurs Ruby, Buzz, Kitt, and Hubble had an energetic play session this morning! While lemurs don’t have prehensile tails, they have incredibly strong grips in their hands and feet, which allow them to complete a number of impressive acrobatic feats with ease 🤩
With North Carolina overnight temperatures dropping into the 30s again this weekend, it’s too cold for our lemurs to have full-day outdoor access. Even when they have to stay indoors, our husbandry staff provide our lemurs with a wide range of enrichment to entertain themselves, from swinging structures to puzzle feeders. The cold can’t stop this frenetic family’s play session! 😝
Insider tip: the tail shaves you see are harmless haircuts our keepers give the animals to help tell them apart. In this family, dad Buzz has a shave near the tip of his tail, and daughter Kitt has two shaves at the base and middle of her tail!
🎥: Abby Flyer ... See MoreSee Less
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Happy #MadagascarMonday! This week, we're excited to highlight some of our recent agroecology work 🌱
In Madagascar, we strive to protect lemur habitats by empowering local communities with tools to develop sustainable farming. In the SAVA region, our agroecology training program has served more than 800 farmers, training them in market vegetable gardening, agroforestry, rice farming, animal husbandry, and more. Farmers have been evaluated and received follow-up consultation, showing that they are satisfied with the results and are thriving. Participants were awarded prizes like watering cans, fuel-efficient stoves, and chickens for their efforts 🐥
We continue to develop this program, and in one new dimension, we are supporting the graduates of our internship program to develop their own new ventures as agricultural consultants, producers, and researchers. Through improved agriculture and sustainability, people benefit from lemur conservation 🤗
➡️ lemur.duke.edu/protect/sava-conservation/sava-newsletter
We also just released our March 2024 DLC-SAVA Conservation Newsletter, which you can access for free on our website to learn more about our conservation projects! 💚 ... See MoreSee Less
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