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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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Happy Mother's Day to primate moms of all species! 😍
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Because lemurs are female dominant, mothers are usually the dominant individual in the group, responsible for maintaining hierarchy while earning respect from the rest of her troop. Involvement of fathers in parenting varies with each species, but mom's involvement in caring for and raising her offspring is ubiquitous 🥰
You can help the Duke Lemur Center celebrate Mother's Day by sending snacks from our Amazon wishlist for all of the hard-working lemur moms in our colony! Here's a quick rundown of some different moms' favorite snacks:
🥜 Coquerel's sifaka moms like Lupicina (pictured with infant son Majorian) love nuts and nut butters! Majorian is old enough that he's started taking nuts out of Lupicina's mouth—when he gets a little bigger, he won't be able to get away with this anymore!
🪱 Aye-aye moms like Fady (pictured in her nest with son Binx) love waxworms and mealworms! Worms and other insects are a large part of an aye-aye's natural diet in the wild, thanks to their unique percussive foraging adaptations, and wooden worm feeders are a daily staple in aye-aye diets at the Duke Lemur Center
🍊 Ring-tailed lemur moms like Alena (pictured amidst her large, chaotic family) love fruit! We have lots of dried fruit on our wishlist, like dried figs and dates, which are extra tasty snacks for positive reinforcement training and special enrichment
Want to send a gift to the primate mom in YOUR life? Visit our merch shop at shop.duke.edu/specialties/duke-shoppes/lemur ✨
📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
we are wishing lemur mothers the very best Mother’s Day today
Happy Mothers Day to the beautiful mothers.
Happy Duke Graduation Weekend to all of our Blue Devils! 💙😈
Just like Coquerel's sifaka Gertrude, you've all studied hard and are ready to leap out into the world! We're so excited to host so many graduates and their families on tours this weekend—all of our tours are completely sold out!!! 😱
For anyone who didn't book a ticket, you can still support lemurs AND celebrate your Duke grad by purchasing a lemur-themed graduation gift from our online shop at shop.duke.edu/specialties/duke-shoppes/lemur 🥰
📸: Sara Sorraia ... See MoreSee Less
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
🥰🫠🥰
Where can we read this artcle, "Leave it to Lemur", please? Would you share the link.
Did you know that today is #InternationalChameleonDay? 🦎
Today, we're partnering with Wildlife Madagascar to celebrate the 2nd annual International Chameleon Day to honor these unique, extraordinary, and beautiful animals. There are more than 200 species of chameleons on Earth, and more than half of them live in Madagascar! 78 chameleon species are threatened with extinction due to habitat loss, climate change, and live capture. Like lemurs, chameleons come in a range of sizes. The largest chameleon species are around two feet long, while the smallest is about the size of a sunflower seed 😱
Learn more and access a variety of educational resources at wildlifemadagascar.org/news-and-stories/international-chameleon-day ✨
📸: Sara Sorraia ... See MoreSee Less
9 CommentsComment on Facebook
Happy international chameleon`s day💗💗
We love chameleons! Every day should be world chameleon day.
Loveee chameleons! My newest ink! 💚✨️
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Sierra Mist and her family had an exciting first week back in the woods 🤩
Ring-tailed lemurs Sierra Mist, Licinius, and their one-year-old twins Eowyn and Merry are exploring their multi-acre forest enclosure for their first week of summer free-ranging. Sierra Mist and Licinius are experienced pros, while Eowyn and Merry are first-timers in the forest. Eowyn seems eager to cuddle up with mom while Merry enthusiastically leaps from tree to tree. Ring-tailed lemurs are very territorial towards other ring-tails outside of their troop, and Sierra Mist's family lives in an adjacent enclosure to Sprite's troop. Both groups patrol their borders, scent-marking on the fence and staring each other down across the space between fences 👀
Fun fact: at 32 years old, Licinius is currently the Duke Lemur Center's oldest free-ranger 🥰
📸: Abby Flyer (1 - Sierra Mist, 2 - Eowyn, 4 - Merry); Sarah K. (3 - Licinius) ... See MoreSee Less
5 CommentsComment on Facebook
So happy for change of season- tons of fun to be had!!!
They are beautiful 😍
Licinius is a rock star! 😍
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Schedule a Private Tour this summer for a customized guided experience with the most endangered group of mammals in the world 🤩
➡️ lemur.duke.edu/onsite-tours
Private Tours are perfect for folks brand new to lemurs, aspiring primatologists, and everyone in between. Your guide will walk your group around our summer tour path, and they can cater the delivery to your group’s interests and questions. This tour is great for all ages and is handicap accessible! The flat rate of $180 (plus tax) covers up to fifteen guests, so you’re welcome to come solo or bring fourteen of your best friends, coworkers, or family members 🥰
We currently have tickets available to book through the end of July! Visit lemur.duke.edu/onsite-tours and click on the Private Tours page to learn more and purchase tickets. Private Tours are primarily run on Mondays, but we will occasionally add additional dates if staffing allows ✨
🎥: Abby Flyer ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentComment on Facebook
💙💙💙
Looking to unlock your inner paleontologist? Dive into fossils with our Night at the Museum Wild Workshop! 🔍
➡️ lemur.duke.edu/fossil-tours
Did you know that the DLC Museum of Natural History is home to one of only two fossil prep labs in the entire state of North Carolina? At our Night at the Museum Wild Workshops, you'll learn tips and tricks of the fossil trade with DLCMNH Curator Dr. Matt Borths and Fossil Preparator Karie Whitman. You'll feel like a kid at your favorite summer camp—pouring over drawers of unique fossils from around the world, helping Matt look for microscopic fossils in Peruvian soil, trying your hand at extracting fossils from rock with Karie's specialized tools, and searching for shark teeth to take home to start your very own fossil collection! 😱
We have two upcoming dates scheduled: Wednesday 5/21 and Tuesday 6/3, both from 5:30-7:30pm. Registration is currently open! Learn more and book your tickets now on our website 🎟
📸: Abby Flyer
NOTE: This is an in-person program hosted at the DLCMNH, located at 1013 Broad Street, Durham, NC. Please note that this program focuses on our fossils and will NOT include a visit to the lemurs on the Duke Lemur Center's main campus. ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentComment on Facebook
Love it.
Glamor shots of Coquerel's sifaka pair Valeria and Carlo 🥰
Despite being a female-male pairing, Valeria and Carlo are not breeding. Most lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center do not live in breeding pairs, and females like Valeria are administered hormonal birth control during breeding season to prevent pregnancy. When lemurs breed, it is because the pairing has been hand-selected through a Species Survival Plan (SSP) to add genetic diversity to the population of these endangered animals in human care. Carlo has previously sired offspring at another facility with a different female—his oldest son, Johann, also lives at the DLC and is father to Egeria and Albus! 💙
📸: Sarah K. ... See MoreSee Less
3 CommentsComment on Facebook
Such fine figures!!
Adorable couple.
I just love them
Happy first official day of tour season! 🥳
The lemurs have finally moved onto our summer tour path, and their first day in their new homes involved lots of scent marking, snacking, grooming, and cuddling 😍
Book a tour to visit the Duke Lemur Center this summer and learn about these amazing endangered animals with our education docents! All ticket sales contribute to the care and conservation of lemurs, so it’s a win-win! Check out our various tour types and make your reservation now at lemur.duke.edu/onsite-tours ✨
Note: you must make a reservation in advance to visit the lemurs! May and June tour tickets are already available, and July tickets will go live tomorrow morning at 11am ET 🤗
🎥: Abby Flyer ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentComment on Facebook
I bet they are happy to be back out there again!
Happy #MadagascarMonday! Today, we want to share an overview of one key aspect of our conservation work in the SAVA: environmental education 💚
Conservation of Madagascar’s unique natural resources requires a long-term strategy that empowers communities to be stewards of their environment. Fostering a generation of environmental stewards begins with reconnecting people with nature. This takes many forms, from incorporating environmental lesson plans into daily classroom instruction, to experiential learning in natural spaces. These initiatives can lead to a generation of Malagasy people interested in and equipped to protect their natural heritage 🌱
Our education specialists have visited more than 50 schools throughout the SAVA region to deliver a value-added educational plan that not only teaches about lemurs and the environment, but encourages the schools to develop their own green initiatives. We’ve followed up with these schools to conduct program evaluations, and we’ve observed with our own eyes how these communities have changed. Many have made school gardens, tended by the students and teachers, while others have planted fruit trees all around the school yard. We helped one school create their own fish pond, from which they can sustainably harvest fish for food and sale 🤗
The DLC’s conservation projects in Madagascar are funded entirely through grants and donations, so your contributions turn our conservation dreams into realities. You can support our work with a tax-deductible donation at lemur.duke.edu/donate ... See MoreSee Less
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
Era ora!
Love that they teach about the lemurs and keeping the forests ❤️
Little lemur, big forest 🤩
If you've visited the Duke Lemur Center recently, you may have seen one-year-old Cirilla free-ranging with her family in one of our forest enclosures. This young ring-tailed lemur has been growing more adventurous up in the trees, although her parents and older brothers like to climb a little too high for her comfort. Cirilla is more sure-footed each day and excited to forage for all of the sweet flowers and leaves that the forest has to offer 🍃
You can watch lemurs like Cirilla run, jump, play, forage, and sunbathe by booking one of our Walking with Lemurs tours! Tickets are already available for all of May and June, and July tickets will go on sale this upcoming Tuesday at 11am ET. Go to lemur.duke.edu/wwl to learn more and book your visit ✨
📸: Sara Nicholson ... See MoreSee Less
7 CommentsComment on Facebook
Whoever takes these pictures does an amazing job! Thank you!
Lots of terrific views of our neighbors enjoying their neighborhood. Unfortunately we are unable to climb the trees like these beauties do.
Cirilla exploring and discovering new things and tasty treats makes me so happy for this beautiful girl!🩷🩷
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