Published on December 9, 2025.
Photo by David Haring. Cover design by Abby Flyer.
We’ve entered the final month of 2025, which means it’s that time of year… time to name our annual Lemur of the Year!
Following in the footsteps of previous winners—blue-eyed black lemur Kidman in 2023 and Coquerel’s sifaka Albus in 2024—comes eight-month-old mongoose lemur Leonor.
The Duke Lemur Center’s Lemur of the Year is awarded annually to the lemur who, in the words of TIME Magazine, “most affected the news and our lives… and embodied what was important about the year.” No one better fits those criteria than Leonor, who was born to first-time mom Bonita and dad Juanito on March 31, 2025. In a year that was challenging for many reasons, Leonor helped raise funds for lemur care and conservation, brought awareness to a critically endangered species, and made thousands of guests, volunteers, and staff members smile.
Leonor is one of eight infants named through the DLC’s new Baby’s First Year: Ultimate Adoption package. Melanie and Carl, longtime DLC supporters and Adopt a Lemur “parents,” made a generous donation of $20,000 to name Bonita’s infant. Mongoose lemurs born at the DLC typically receive Spanish names, so Melanie and Carl decided on Leonor (“lay-uh-nor”), an elegant and traditional royal name historically given to Spanish princesses, up to and including the current princess.
Leonor has been honing her artistic skills from a young age! She and her parents are big fans of finger painting, an enrichment activity where the lemurs get to forage for tasty snacks while dipping their fingers and toes in (non-toxic, water-soluble) paint. This was Leonor’s first painting session hopping around on her own—look how brave she is! Photo by Abby Flyer.
Leonor is an active participant in both non-invasive research and positive reinforcement training here at the DLC. She has voluntarily participated in non-invasive research on infant grip strength, a study which might shed light on the evolution of primates’ grasping hands. Along with her family, Leonor is also scale trained, voluntarily hopping up to weigh herself in exchange for tasty treats, and she continues to work on training other behaviors that allow her to participate in her own welfare.
This little lemur is playful and curious, enamored with the larger-than-life world around her. As Leonor grew from precocious infant into headstrong juvenile, she became a superstar of the summer tour path. Whether she was bouncing off the walls, using her mother as a trampoline, or trying to entice her father to play, this little girl stole the hearts of everyone she met. Most of all, she has introduced thousands of people to mongoose lemurs and the urgent need for their care in captivity and conservation in Madagascar.
At the International Primatological Society (IPS) conference this year, a new “Primates in Peril” list was established. A collaboration between the IPS and other international conservation organizations, “Primates in Peril” highlights the 25 most threatened primates across the globe. This year’s list includes mongoose lemurs for the very first time.
Mongoose lemurs are restricted to a tiny home range in Madagascar’s western dry forests, where their habitats are rapidly declining. In addition, there are very few conservation organizations where these gentle, charismatic lemurs live within human care. Leonor is a wonderful, and very much needed, ambassador for her species!
Mongoose lemurs Juanito (left), Leonor (center), and Bonita (right) on a shelf in their screened-in outdoor patio. Photo by David Haring.
