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The time is now
Lemurs are the most endangered mammals on Earth
about
Duke Lemur Center
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 13 species, the DLC houses the world’s most diverse population of lemurs outside their native Madagascar.
Our Mission
To advance science, scholarship, and biological conservation through non-invasive research, community-based conservation, and public outreach and education.
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Jujube trees? Yes, please! 🤩
➡️ lemur.duke.edu/jujube
We're excited to announce that we've added four special tree saplings to our food forest—jujube trees! Because jujube trees are low maintenance and don’t require pesticides or other chemical treatments, they are ideal for our ‘food forest’ organic garden. These saplings are expensive and well beyond our budget, but with help from DLC supporter Marilyn Grolitzer, Karen DiDonato from local business Nurtured by Nature Growers, and Janet at Edible Landscaping in Afton, Virginia, we were able to add four jujube trees to our growing food forest. As an animal lover, Janet enthusiastically agreed to donate the saplings, and Karen and her husband Chris helped transport the trees from Afton to Durham. We can't wait to see the lemurs enjoy the results of this wonderful collaboration! Visit our website at the link above to read more 🌱🍒
You, too, can help support the care and conservation of lemurs by making a donation to the Duke Lemur Center! Visit gifts.duke.edu/lemur to make your tax-deductible donation today 🤗 ... See MoreSee Less
3 CommentsComment on Facebook
These folks deserve a big round of applause!! So cool!💚👏💚
Thank you all for your generosity!
Indeed
Leaping into the week with Coquerel's sifaka Gertrude ✨
Coquerel's sifakas, one of the critically endangered lemur species living at the Duke Lemur Center, move through the forest quite differently than most other species. They utilize a form of locomotion called "vertical clinging and leaping" when jumping from tree to tree, in which their bodies remain vertical but they can leap up to 30 feet horizontally. Sifakas have evolved splayed-out hips to aid in this special locomotion, which in turn makes quadrupedal walking (aka the way a ring-tailed lemur moves) very difficult. This anatomy is the cause for Zoboomafoo's signature bipedal hopping, which his daughter Gertrude demonstrates in these photos 🤩
📸: Sara Nicholson ... See MoreSee Less
12 CommentsComment on Facebook
Mila miaro tsika fa izy kara olo iany mafnartra
What fantastic movement!
Gertrude is "Stylin'
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'Tis the season for fresh redbud 🌸
Whether they're out in the forest or nice and cozy in their indoor enclosures, lemurs love snacking on flowers! Now that redbud has begun to bloom, Keeper Sarah M. went out and cut fresh browse for the lemurs to enjoy. Featured in these pics are collared lemur Bijou, crowned lemur Hapi, Coquerel's sifaka Remus, and red ruffed lemur Hunter. While different lemur species have different diets, redbud is a favorite for almost all of the DLC's residents 🥰
📸: Sarah M. ... See MoreSee Less
4 CommentsComment on Facebook
Kudos to who ever takes the pics for this site💕 Excellent work, especially the closeups!
The buds, flowers, and seed pods of redbud are edible for humans too. I love that the lemurs get to enjoy this tasty treat!
🤩 THIS WEEKEND 🤩
Good news: we have the weather and staffing to run an off-season General Tour this Saturday 3/22! Like our summer General Tours, this tour is an open house format, and guests can arrive any time before 11:30am to walk around and see the lemurs. Because the lemurs' housing needs may mildly affect their visibility to guests, we are offering a discounted off-season rate of $15 per person for ages 18+ and $12 per person for ages 3-17 (children 2 and under are free) 🥳
We are also able to run off-season Walking with Lemurs tours this Saturday (3/22) and Sunday (3/23) at 12:30pm! Tickets are limited, so make sure to grab them before they sell out. Just like during the summer, our Walking with Lemurs tours are $85 per person and open to guests ages 10+ 🤗
Tickets MUST be purchased in advance to attend! Tickets and information are available on our website at lemur.duke.edu/GT for the General Tour and lemur.duke.edu/wwl for the Walking with Lemurs tour 🎟
📸: David Haring; Sara Nicholson ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentComment on Facebook
Hope everyone has fun.
Baby season means birthday season, and our keepers love an excuse to make extra tasty enrichment for the animals! 🥳
Most diurnal lemurs at the DLC are born in March and April, so we've had lots of birthdays to celebrate in the past week. Featured in these photos are:
💙 blue-eyed black lemurs Hamill and Gellar, a breeding pair who were born just a few days apart in the same year, snacking on sweet birthday treats made of oatmeal, blueberry, and gelatin, topped with blueberry jam
💜 Licinius, the current oldest diurnal lemur at the DLC, who enjoyed a similar blueberry oatmeal cake but was mostly interested in licking the blueberry jam off the top
💛💛 ring-tailed lemur twins Merry and Eowyn, whose keeper threw them a Lord of the Rings themed first birthday complete with a birthday banner and a hobbit hole structural enrichment, eating a cake made of primate biscuits, banana, and maple syrup with a blueberry topping
🧡 Jones, who shares the same birthday as his mom Sprite and received a cake made of peanut butter powder, banana, and oat flour topped with grapes, blueberries, and fresh redbud flowers
You can help our keepers continue to make birthday season special by donating snacks and enrichment items from our wishlist!
www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/373AW0NFW38GY/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1
📸&🎂: Keepers Sarah M. and Sarah K. ... See MoreSee Less
10 CommentsComment on Facebook
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all of these incredibly beautiful and wonderful sweeties!!🩷🩷🎉🎂⭐️🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷
Happy, Happy birthday!!
I did! 😍
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Get ready for March Madness with Duke Lemur Center merchandise! 🏀
shop.duke.edu/specialties/duke-shoppes/lemur
Looking for something to wear while you cheer on the Blue Devils during the tournament? Need to stay hydrated so you can scream for your team? Check out these items, and many more, on our official merch store 🤩
Plus, if you order today, shipping is free!
March Madness? More like Merch Madness! ... See MoreSee Less
3 CommentsComment on Facebook
Short only comes in sm and xsm??? I need womens xlarge
Wearing that shirt right now!💜
. . . Leaping Lemurs!!! March Madness Lemurs!!! . . . . Blessèd be the Orange Orb. There is One Coach and his name is Coach K, and Jon Scheyer is his disciple, and the Duke Blue Devils are their instrument. Woe to the unbelievers — especially Tar Heel fans . . . LET'S GO DEVILS!!!
NEW RESEARCH: Fat-tailed dwarf lemurs slow down cellular aging during hibernation 😱
phys.org/news/2025-03-hibernating-lemurs-clock-cellular-aging.html
Researchers at Duke and UC San Francisco recently published a new study in "Biology Letters" showing that fat-tailed dwarf lemurs' telomeres (tiny caps on chromosomes) temporarily lengthen during torpor. A similar phenomenon has been observed in humans who endured stressful situations, such as spending a year aboard the International Space Station or living for months underwater. While we don't yet know exactly how these incredible animals extend their telomeres, this finding might help explain why dwarf lemurs live up to twice as long as similarly-sized primates. Read more at the link above!
📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less
28 CommentsComment on Facebook
DON'T LIKE ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION. WITH AI YOU WOULD THINK THERE WOULD BE A BETTER WAY
What cute little fingers.
😗
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So excited to see news outlets sharing Majorian's birth announcement! For critically endangered species like Coquerel's sifakas, infants aren't just cute—they're crucial. Lemurs like Majorian help establish a genetic safety net in human care to prevent this incredible species from going extinct 💙
www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/373AW0NFW38GY/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1
You can contribute to the care and conservation of the world's most endangered mammals by donating items from our wishlist! High-protein food items like nuts, nut butters, and beans help new moms like Lupicina keep up their strength while little ones are nursing and growing 🥰
youtu.be/XWxWeZHcgdA?si=gCJ5hwYKralMw1ic ... See MoreSee Less
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
Marjorie is beautiful. 🥰🥰
Aww What cutie pies
Happy 32nd birthday to the DLC's oldest diurnal lemur, Licinius 🥳
Ring-tailed lemur Licinius is the second oldest lemur currently living at the DLC (after 38-year-old aye-aye Poe). This sweet, gentle male is the father to a number of DLC residents, including his youngest twins, Merry and Eowyn, who turn one year old later this week. In his free time, Licinius enjoys finger (and tail) painting, sunbathing, scent marking on sticks, snacking on fruit, and cuddling up with his family. You may have met Licinius on a Behind the Scenes or Walking with Lemurs tour, purchased one of his paintings, or fallen in love with him from afar via his frequent features on social media 🥰
Our keepers are making sure Licinius and his family get extra snacks today to celebrate! You can send a birthday treat from our Amazon wishlist in honor of this handsome lemur at lemur.duke.edu/wishlist ✨
📸: Sara Nicholson (1,8); David Haring (2,6); Sarah K. (3); Sara Sorraia (5); Allie Monahan (7) ... See MoreSee Less
12 CommentsComment on Facebook
Happy birthday 🎂🎉❤️
Happy birthday Licinius! Wishing you many more.
Happy Birthday, Licinius. Hope you had fun and good eats today.
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Happy Sunday afternoon from Coquerel’s sifakas Gisela and Arcadius 🌦️
While we have a very rainy Sunday today in North Carolina, the lemurs are more than content to cuddle up in their warm, dry indoor enclosures. Momma Gisela and five-month-old Arcadius snack on winged sumac, a non-toxic type of sumac native to North Carolina. Because fresh leaves are a crucial part of a sifaka’s diet, our fantastic husbandry technicians collect massive harvests of winged sumac at the end of the summer to freeze over the winter. Then, they’re able to thaw portions of leaves each day for the sifakas’ afternoon meal, even while the trees in our forest are bare! The lemurs appreciate the delicious food, and we appreciate all of the hard work and dedication that our husbandry team puts into caring for the most diverse collection of lemurs outside of Madagascar 🌿
🎥: Abby Flyer ... See MoreSee Less
10 CommentsComment on Facebook
Thanks for all the great things you do for the lemurs. I know they appreciate it!
Love that Gisela!!
Wond wonderful that they do this.
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