The time is now

Duke Lemur Center

8 hours ago

Looking for a Father's Day gift for a dad who has it all? Get him a symbolic adoption of everyone's favorite lemur dad, ring-tailed lemur Randy! 💙

➡️ shop.duke.edu/Virtual-Adopt-a-Lemur-Ring-Tailed-Lemur

20-year-old Randy is a certified super dad, having sired 18 offspring over the course of his life. Unlike most ring-tailed lemur dads, who are relatively uninvolved with infant rearing, Randy has consistently helped his mates care for their babies and spends lots of time cuddled up with his adult offspring. Fun fact: Randy has had only three sons, making him a verified Girl Dad to a whopping FIFTEEN daughters! 🥰

Adopting Randy is the perfect gift for the hard-to-shop-for man in your life! With our $50 Virtual Adoption, you'll receive a digital postcard and access to an online portal, where your recipient can read all about Randy, download printable photos, and sign up to receive quarterly email updates on Randy's life at the Duke Lemur Center. It's a clutter-free gift that shows you care, AND all of the funds support lemur care and conservation: a win-win! 👍

📸: David Haring (1,4,6); Sara Nicholson (2,3,5) ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

1 day ago

Before and after: Mama Liesl and her twins 👶👶

Not all lemur moms become visibly pregnant, but ring-tailed lemur Liesl had a very obviously round belly before giving birth to her twins! Ring-tailed lemurs have a gestation of about 4 1/2 months, which is average for many lemur species. Smaller nocturnal lemurs have shorter gestations (as short as 60 days for mouse lemurs and dwarf lemurs!), while larger lemurs like Coquerel's sifakas can be pregnant for almost 6 months. Breeding and birthing seasons vary by species as well 💕

📸: Sarah K. (1); David Haring (2) ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

2 days ago

Blue-eyed black lemurs Leigh, Lincoln, and McAvoy snack on fresh leaves on their sunny outdoor patios 🌿

Blue-eyed black lemurs are among the most endangered primate species in the world, with possibly fewer than 1,000 individuals remaining in the wild. McAvoy and his parents were born through the DLC’s conservation breeding program, which has celebrated over 3,400 births since the Lemur Center was founded in 1966. Together, blue-eyed black lemurs at the DLC and other institutions worldwide form a genetic safety net for their species. Each new birth helps sustain a healthy and genetically diverse population of blue-eyed black lemurs for the long-term future 💙

📸: Keeper Sarah K. ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

3 days ago

Mongoose lemur Maddie celebrated her 20th birthday in style! 🧡

Keeper Lauren, the primary caretaker for Maddie and her family, put together a groovy party yesterday to celebrate this iconic lady! Maddie, mate Duggan, and son Clancy enjoyed a totally tubular lava lamp feeder, eagerly reaching for chunks of yummy banana. Maddie also snacked on a beautiful cake (made of folivore chow, banana, and coconut cream) and explored her sweet ride (a cardboard VW Bus). Maddie is the matriarch of a long family line of critically endangered mongoose lemurs, so we're happy that she got to celebrate a big milestone birthday in such epic fashion 😎

📸: Keepers Lauren and Leah ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

1 week ago

This is a Big Sister Hedwig appreciation post ☺️

Ring-tailed lemur Liesl's twins, who are almost three months old, now spend a lot more time off of mom and require a little extra supervision. Thankfully, ten-year-old sister Hedwig is up to the task! The female twin is a little more outgoing than her brother, so Hedwig usually keeps an eye on her as she bounces from twig to twig while Liesl cares for the clingier male. Hedwig, a twin herself, grew up with older sisters who helped raise her, so she had great role models! 💖

➡️ lemur.duke.edu/adopt/ultimate/liesl-infant

Interested in making a large donation to help protect Earth's most endangered mammals? For a tax-deductible donation of $20,000, you can symbolically adopt and name BOTH of Liesl's infants! These little lemurs will only be available for donor naming for another two weeks; once they turn three months old, if no one has adopted them, the husbandry staff that care for the family will choose names for them 🥰

📸: Sara Nicholson ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

1 week ago

Exciting news... for the first time in many years, our summer tour path includes aye-ayes! 😱

Our oldest lemur, 39-year-old aye-aye Poe, now resides in one of our nocturnal viewing rooms on our tour path! Poe shares two rooms in the front of our nocturnal building with his daughter, 30-year-old Ardrey, as well as one of our resident bush babies. Despite their spooky appearance, aye-ayes can be some of the shyest lemurs, so Poe and his crew have access to a second room out of sight where they can retreat if they need a little alone time 🫣

Fun fact: Poe, who was born in the wild in Madagascar and traveled to the DLC in 1987, is the oldest lemur in recorded history and was one of the original founders of the aye-aye population in human care 🌿

➡️ lemur.duke.edu/visit

Want a chance to catch a glimpse of the elusive aye-ayes? Book your tickets now to visit on a General Tour or Private Tour! Tickets are available through the end of July, and August tickets will go on sale on the first Tuesday of June! Be sure to book your visit in advance, as we are not able to accommodate walk-ins without a tour reservation 🎟

📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

1 week ago

We're so excited to announce the birth of another critically endangered blue-eyed black lemur infant... Meet Zava! 💙

➡️ lemur.duke.edu/zava

Zava was born on March 2, 2026, and is the second daughter of parents Charlie and Mangamaso. Last year, her older sister Mitsiky was the only blue-eyed black lemur infant in human care, in any facility in the world. Zava, whose name means "nature" or "clearness" in Malagasy, was symbolically adopted and named by a generous couple who wish to remain anonymous 😊

“Zava is very observant of her environment,” says Kevin, the primary keeper for the tight-knit family of four. “She loves to be outside. She looks at little insects with curiosity, sometimes even gently touching them.” 🐞

Blue-eyed black lemurs are among the most endangered primate species in the world, with possibly fewer than 1,000 individuals remaining in the wild, so maintaining a genetically diverse population of these lemurs in human care is a crucial safety net 🌍

📸: Madison A. (1,2,4,5); Britt Keith (3) ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

2 weeks ago

Want to take photos like these? Take a stroll through the woods on our Walking with Lemurs tour! 🤩

➡️ lemur.duke.edu/wwl

These incredible lemur portraits were taken by a guest in our iconic Natural Habitat Enclosures (NHEs). On a Walking with Lemurs tour, a small group of guests journey out with an experienced guide into two NHEs, where you can view the lemurs in the trees of large, forested habitats from just six feet away, with no barriers between you (or your camera lens) and the lemurs! 📸

Tickets for Walking with Lemurs tours are available through the end of July, and August tickets will go on sale on the first Tuesday of June! You don't want to miss this unique experience, which has been described by guests as both "an unforgettable family outing" and "top tier as an adult." Visit our website to learn more and schedule your visit! ✨ ... See MoreSee Less