The time is now

Duke Lemur Center

7 hours ago

Mama Leigh and her boys 💙

Blue-eyed black lemur Leigh is a strong matriarch who lives with breeding partner Lincoln and their son, McAvoy. Since blue-eyed black lemurs are sexually dichromatic, it's easy to identify orange-furred Leigh amongst her black-furred male group mates. They all share their stunning blue eyes—this is the only lemur species with blue eyes 👀

Fun fact: Brady, the blue-eyed black lemur representative in our Adopt a Lemur program, is Leigh's son and McAvoy's brother! You can symbolically adopt Brady and support this critically endangered species at lemur.duke.edu/adopt ✨

📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

1 day ago

Happy 2nd birthday to Coquerel's sifaka Egeria 🥳

While her little brother Albus was named the DLC's Lemur of the Year 2024, big sister Egeria is equally as charming and playful. Egeria was named by the Cooke Family, longtime supporters of our SAVA conservation programs who won naming rights through the DLC's online auction. They named this gregarious female after a consort of Numa, the legendary second king of Rome. Her namesake was rumored to be a nymph, and the family loved the name's connection to nature 🍃

In these photos, Egeria shows off a lemur "play face," which consists of an open mouth and dilated pupils. Egeria and Albus can frequently be spotted making play faces at one another, as lemurs use this to indicate that wrestling, grappling, or chasing is meant to be fun rather than aggressive 😜

📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

3 days ago

Happy Friday from crowned lemurs Sanura and Ma'at 🤗

Crowned lemurs are one of our sexually dichromatic species, meaning that females like Sanura are gray with an orange "crown," while males like Ma'at are orange-brown with a black "crown." In the wild, crowned lemurs travel in all levels of the forest, but seem to prefer the canopy level. They readily descend to the ground to eat fallen fruit, lick or eat dirt, or travel 👑

Wild crowned lemurs live in groups ranging in size from five to up to 15 animals (groups of five to six are the norm), with adults of both sexes present. Large groups often break up into foraging subgroups of one to four animals and use vocalizations to maintain contact with or to locate other subgroups when separation distances are large. Such vocalizations, described as “piercing yaps,” can often be heard between groups at the DLC 🗣

📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

5 days ago

Does your 2025 New Year's resolution include volunteering, lemurs, or meeting new people? What about all three? 👀

➡️ lemur.duke.edu/volunteer

Applications are now open for our volunteer education docents! We're looking for folks of all ages with a passion for learning and chatting. Absolutely no previous lemur knowledge or public speaking experience is required 🤗 ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

6 days ago

Ending the year with some photos of our littlest man 🥹

Two-month-old Arcadius has started exploring off of mom Gisela! Under the watchful eye of his family members, Arcadius has been swinging from branches, snacking on leaves, and playing with big brother Silas. He still returns to mom's back for a safe place to snuggle and a free ride around his enclosure 💖

You can keep up with Arcadius in the new year by symbolically adopting Gisela. You'll get quarterly updates on the family and a custom adoption packet, and your donation will go towards lemur care and conservation. A win-win! Learn more at lemur.duke.edu/adopt 👀

📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

1 week ago

Ring-tailed matriarch Liesl looks positively regal 👑

Unlike many primates, lemurs are monomorphic, meaning males and females are generally the same size. Female lemurs don’t need to throw their weight around to get priority access to food and safe sleeping spots. Simple acts of dominance like tail and fur pulling, slaps, and the occasional bite are enough to keep male lemurs in line, and it is clear by the way the males retreat from an approaching female that they know who’s in charge. Matriarchs like Liesl sometimes employ a more subtle approach, where just a glance at a subordinate is enough of a warning to put them in their place 💖

📸: Sara Nicholson ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

2 weeks ago

We're 😍 for these #tbt photos of our youngest red ruffed girls ❤️

Hoku (1,2) and Kitt (3,4) were both born in spring of 2022. Both girls were born to first-time moms: Hoku to mom Mae, and Kitt (along with twin brother Hubble) to mom Ruby. Red ruffed lemurs hit sexual maturity around three to four years old, so these females will be bona fide adults this upcoming spring! What do you think: do Hoku and Kitt look like their baby photos? 🤔

📸: David Haring (1-3); Sara Nicholson (4) ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

2 weeks ago

Handsome Juanito is here to wish you a happy holiday season 😊

Just a reminder that we are closed to the public today through Thursday, as well as NYE and New Year's Day! That means we have NO tours, and our gift shop will also be closed. Don't worry, we still have staff coming in to take care of the lemurs 💙

📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less