The time is now

1 day ago

Happy #FossilFriday! In honor of #JeopardyGOAT tournament wrapping up this week, the we honor a fossil at the DLC that was featured in a Jeopardy answer!

Then-postdoc-now-curator Dr. Borths helped name Masrasector nananubis, a small carnivore that lived in very ancient Egypt 34 million years ago. It probably hunted ancient lemur and monkey relatives along the African coast.

"Masrasector" is the genus - equivalent to the "Tyrannosaurus" in T. rex - and it means "Egyptian slicer." "nananubis" is the species - equivalent to the "rex" in T. rex - and it means "tiny Anubis." Anubis was the jackal-headed ancient Egyptian god of death and embalming.

Masrasector nananubis can only be studied at the DLC! Here's an interview Dr. Borths did when Masrasector nananubis first scampered into the scientific literature: blogs.plos.org/paleocomm/2017/04/19/author-interview-matt-borths-on-the-newly-named-fossil-mammal... ... See MoreSee Less

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Duke Lemur Center shared a post.

2 days ago

Our long-time photographer, David Haring, retires at the end of this month -- but don't worry, he'll continue taking photos at the DLC as a volunteer! :D Happy retirement, David! ... See MoreSee Less

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David, it’s been a great pleasure and honor to have known you and to have been locked up by you once with sifakas. 😆 Happy Retirement🥂❤️ and enjoy continuing what you love, perhaps at a little more leisurely pace‼️

David Haring is such a wonderful asset to DLC. Wishing him a long, healthy and happy retirement. Thanks for sharing all your beautiful photos over the years!!!

Happy Retirement David! What an amazing catalog of work you have produced!

Congratulations on your retirement. Super Happy you will still be taking photos at the Lemur Center.

Happy retirement, David! You earned it! My most treasured photos from my time at DLC are those that you took of me with my favorite lemurs! I have the picture you took of me and Rupert in the woods on display in my living room. I also enjoyed hearing all your stories about the family histories of different lemurs.

Congrats David! Thank you for all the beautiful photos!

Happy retirement David!! I'll never forget that on my first day in Madagascar, I went to Nahampoana Reserve (in Fort Dauphin) and they had a huge poster of Romeo on the wall, with you credited as the photographer. I flew thousands of miles and the first lemur I saw was from DLC.

Happy Retirement David!!! Thank you for sharing your talent and The Lemurs with all of us!!!

Happy Retirement David and thanks so much for the beautiful pictures over the years!

Thanks for all the wonderful photos throughout the years! Happy retirement.

Happy and well deserved retirement and thank you for continuing awesome photography for Duke’s Lemurs!

Congrats on your retirement David. It's been fun working with you as a fellow registrar.

Happy retirement David!

Congratulations on your retirement. I’m glad you’ll still be taking photos. They always bring me such joy.

Happy retirement David. You have no idea how much you have inspired me as a photographer.

Wow! Happy retirement! What a gift to us all to have these amazing photos that capture the beauty and variety of the world’s lemur species.

My first thought, a selfish one, was “NO!!!!!!”. My second was “I hope you have a very happy retirement”. I know we haven’t seen the last of your lemur pictures - you won’t be able to resist. 🙂

Happy retirement, David!

Congrats on your retirement!

Congratulations David!

Happy Retirement! Enjoy!

We are big fans!

These pics are amazing.

So glad to have gotten to know hm and see the beautiful photos

Decorate your home with some well marked branches, so you can relax in those scent memories!

3 days ago

Our newest SAVA Conservation newsletter has been released, and boy -- we've been busy! Learn more about DLC-SAVA's newest staff members, reforestation efforts, sustainable agriculture, and scholarships granted to two Malagasy students: online.fliphtml5.com/ejvu/ftmg/#p=1.

Our conservation programs are funded solely by donations and grants. A huge THANK YOU to our donors for making this work possible! <3 ... See MoreSee Less

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Want to learn even more about our work on-the-ground in Madagascar? A complete archive of conservation newsletters is viewable here: lemur.duke.edu/protect/sava-newsletter :)

Duke Lemur Center is at Duke Lemur Center.

4 days ago

ATTENTION STUDENTS! 🎉 Are you a college student looking for a unique summer of experiential learning in the field of animal husbandry, conservation education, animal welfare, field research, communications, or fossil collection management? Consider applying for the DLC's summer 2020 internship program! Our internships provide students with the opportunity to gain career-building knowledge and skills, as they work closely with DLC staff and learn from an amazing colony of 200+ lemurs over 10 weeks. Applications are now open and will close on March 1st, 2020, so make sure you get yours in soon!

To learn more and submit an application, go to: lemur.duke.edu/internships. We look forward to hearing from you! 📷: Bob Karp. ... See MoreSee Less

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Ashley Davis......

Meet Mini mum, Mini ature, Mini scule: Tiny new frogs from Madagascar

6 days ago

Three new species of tiny frogs found in Madagascar, appropriately assigned to the genus Mini :)
news.mongabay.com/2019/03/meet-mini-mum-mini-ature-mini-scule-tiny-new-frogs-from-madagascar/ ... See MoreSee Less

news.mongabay.com

Researchers have named three previously undescribed, extremely small species of frogs from Madagascar Mini mum, Mini ature, and Mini scule. All of them belong to Mini, a genus that is entirely new to ...

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journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0213314

So stinking adorable

So tiny & so cute!

Peg Todloski, thought you might dig this! Tiny frogs!

Yayyy!!!

SJ Therese

Emily Jane Miceli

But are they poisonous, or not??

Courtney Hamm minibeebs

Ali R. Malek 🐸

1 week ago

Either five-month-old Melisandre is beginning a career as a photo-bombing aye-aye, or she's starting to take a serious interest in investigating what mom Ardrey is eating! Our guess is the latter, since in one of these photos her nose was close to the nut Ardrey was eating, and she only turned to look adorably at the camera at the very last second! 😆

Thanks to David Haring for the fabulous images + caption! ... See MoreSee Less

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I truly think Melisandre's talent is to smile for the camera to bring others joy! I hope she was able to get a bit out of her mothers nut!

I'm picking Melisandre as aye-aye of the year. We are so fortunate to have this girl.

I can’t get enough of her❤️❤️❤️

The look on momma’s face is priceless! Like, “Kiddo, just give me 5 mins. Just 5.” Ardrey, I feel ya girl.

She is funny & lovely& she knows it!!!!

Hecking ADORABLE! 🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍

Oh my Lord, so obsessed with Melisandre!

Would absolutely hire a photobombing aye-aye for my next gathering

These are the greatest photos ever😂

She is the prettiest aye-aye!

Soooooo adorable!

She's a star😊

Adorable!!!!

Awwww

😍😍😍😍

Amy Rhode

Cool

Whitlee Turner, I need to see this in person!!❤

Theo Bennett one of my fave animals

Raj

Wills McWilliams your dream

Danny!!

Amy Misner this is you

What do you mean, photo-bombing? She is clearly making those photos even better! 🥰

1 week ago

Did you know that sifakas have an elongated gut tract that is an astonishing 14-15x their body length, and that between eating and excreting, it can take up to 36 hours for food to pass through?! 😮

Learn more about the weird, wonderful digestive system of the sifaka in this quick 200-word blog by DLC Research Scientist Dr. Lydia Greene: lemur.duke.edu/200-words-sifaka-digestive-system.

📷: Bob Karp. Diagram reproduced from Campbell et al. 2000. Description of the gastrointestinal tract of five lemur species: Propithecus tattersalli, Propithecus verreauxi coquereli, Varecia variegata, Hapalemur griseus, and Lemur catta. American Journal of Primatology. 52: 133-142. ... See MoreSee Less

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When I did Keeper for the Day I did take note of how different the poo was from different species that I was cleaning up!

Actually that is my diagram from an earlier paper, thanks.

Keystone species distributing ‘well prepared’ fruit and tree seeds throughout their domain.

Wow, just wow.

Madagascar’s famous lemurs could lose their rainforest by 2080

2 weeks ago

"High in the canopies of Madagascar’s eastern rainforests live two critically endangered species of ruffed lemur, among the most famous of the island’s wildlife. Now, new models of climate change and rainforest loss suggest an even bleaker future for the primates: Their habitat may be completely gone by 2080."

Read more: www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/12/lemurs-madagascar-climate-change-deforestation ... See MoreSee Less

www.nationalgeographic.com

Deforestation and climate change could wipe out much of the island’s rainforests, a new model says—but society is not powerless to stop it.

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So sad to think this beautiful species could be gone. Let us hope something is done to save them.

I've been following Duke Lemur center for years and I am a top fan this month awsume!

All of us will be in severe danger by 2080 if we continue to ignore the obvious plight of our planet and all who inhabit it.

Call to action!!

2 weeks ago

Happy (one day belated) National Bean Day! And who better to celebrate it with than the DLC's newest arrival, a black and white ruffed lemur female named Beans, who arrived in December from the Tulsa Zoo for pairing with our boys AJ and Rees! 😃 To mark this most festive of holidays, Allie prepared an elaborate bean, corn, and green pepper paper plate "taco" which Beans seemed to love (as did the boys)!

Thanks to David Haring for the photos! ... See MoreSee Less

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now i really got to have one

NOT A PET!

Oh my goodness, a new beauty for the DLC. Congrats to AJ and Rees - I'm thinking this is going to be a great group.

Welcome to DLC Beans! You have already brought smiles, you are a beauty. Enjoy your taco 🌮!

My fave lemur... and the red ruffed.. But yeah I love them all!

What a lovely girl! Start the queue boys.

Hi Bean, nice to meet you !

Bottom pic: "Of course I know how to take notes ..."

QUEEN BEANS

Elizabeth Dorans I now have a favorite lemur at the DLC

Bailee Miller queen 👑

Ryan Devlin

Francesca De Petrillo AJ and Rees got a girlfriend!!

Katlyn Snyder-Muse Kelsey Deneen Beans! 😍

💓

Cool

Farewell, Ike - World's oldest crowned lemur passes away at Duke Lemur Center - Duke Lemur Center

2 weeks ago

Rest in peace, Ike. May you have all the bananas your heart desires, and eternal snuggling and sunning with Set <3 We're honored to have shared 29 years with you.

Read more about Ikenaten, the world's oldest crowned lemur: lemur.duke.edu/farewell-ike. ... See MoreSee Less

lemur.duke.edu

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgKAFK5djSk

Oh no!!! I fostered Ike at home for one night when he was an infant and I worked at the (then) Duke Primate Center. I will miss his little "eeeep!" call in the night when he was hungry. I have photos somewhere. Farewell, Ike.

Oh such sadness! Goodbye Ike, may your memory be for a blessing! That is quite an honor for you to have been the world's oldest living crowned lemur <3

He had a broken heart and didn’t want to live without Set. Farewell, Ike. I’m glad he and Set are together again. ❤️ My condolences to everyone at the Lemur Center who took such wonderful care of him for so long.

Sounds like Ike had a wonderful life and was loved by all! His memory will live on in all who knew him...

This makes me so sad. I will light a candle in memory of Ikenaten at Duke Chapel when I go to work. My deepest sympathy to all those humans and lemurs who loved and cared for him. Your love always lives on.

Condolences to all who cared for and loved this guy.

What a nice tribute ❤️. I feel like I never got more than a glimpse of Set before Ike would remind me that he'd prefer that I not even look at her. I sure will miss them.

I am truly sorry to the staff for the loss of Ike. May your silliest memories bring you smiles

My condolences to all. He sure was a beauty. Thanks Ike for all the smiles you brought to us over the years, you will be missed. May Ike (Ikenaten) Rest in Peace.

Sending best wishes to his caretakers. I'm so sorry for his loss, but celebrate his long life.

Many thanks to Ike and Set for all the joy they brought to so many of us.

I'm so sorry to hear that! My condolences to all those who took care of him and loved him.

He had a fulfilling life thanks to all of you. My condolences.

I met you a few years ago Ike.....lots of green leaves for you over the rainbow Bridge ❤️

My little buddy...I will always remember Ike. He really left a mark on me.

Condolences to Ike's keepers and everyone at DLC.

Really miss Ike, Set, and Tarantino

So sad 😢 we just met them ❤️

So, so sorry for your loss of dear Ike. Godspeed Ike.

So sorry for your loss. St. Francis was there to welcome Ike to heaven 💜

My thoughts go out to you.

RIP