Happy first birthday to our littlest mongoose lemur, Leonor! ๐ฅณ
Keeper Leah put together a fabulous first birthday party for our "wild one!" Leonor and her parents, Bonita and Juanito, celebrated in their screened-in outdoor patio with a banner, jello "cupcakes" (pineapple juice with grapes and strawberries), and a giant cake for the birthday girl (folivore chow with smashed banana and coconut water, decorated with strawberries, grapes, and apple). All three mongoose lemurs eagerly enjoyed the snacks and sunshine! โ๏ธ
Leonor, the first critically endangered mongoose lemur infant born at the DLC since 2021, was named through our Baby's First Year: Ultimate Adopt program by generous donors Melanie and Carl. Mongoose lemurs are restricted to a tiny home range in Madagascarโs 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! ๐ฅฐ
๐ฅ: Abby Flyer
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Happy birthday to beautiful mongoose lemur Carolina! ๐ฅณ
Carolina (caro-LEE-nah, not like the state!) turns 16 today! This lovely lady was born at the DLC in 2010 to parents Maddie and Pedro. She has been a valuable contributor to the Species Survival Plan (SSP) of this critically endangered species, raising three successful offspring and becoming a grandmother last year when daughter Bonita gave birth to baby Leonor. Carolina's youngest son, Nacho, even moved to Berlin to expand the mongoose lemur SSP into Europe! Carolina now resides with new breeding partner Rico, though the pair have yet to add to Carolina's family tree. Carolina loves fruit and will be getting plenty of tasty birthday snacks today to celebrate ๐
๐ธ: Sara Nicholson (1,4); Sarah M. (2); David Haring (3,5-7) ... See MoreSee Less
9 CommentsComment on Facebook
Thank you Sara, Sarah, David and lemur team for these AMAZING photos to brighten our newsfeed with. You are as much the stars as the lemurs .. These images just melted my heart ... I would never be able to get anything done if I lived near the DLC. I would be there every day (not joking) ... I ate lunch at the National Zoo in DC when the cheetah cubs were born. And then was there when baby Tai Shan was born (panda) .. ๐
Happy Birthday Carolina !!!๐
Happy Birthday sweet girl enjoy all the yummy snacks you want you deserve to be spoiled โค๏ธ
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Gisela's infant takes on the forest! ๐ฟ
Coquerel's sifaka Gisela and her family were so excited to return to their free-ranging forest enclosure, and her 2.5-month-old daughter has had a blast exploring her new environment! Older brothers Silas and Arcadius are thrilled to have a new wrestling partner, as their little sister is finally big enough to join in on the fun. Gisela is an attentive mom who periodically checks on her daughter. Thankfully, mom gets lots of time to relax in the sun and take a break while her older sons entertain the infant. Thus far, baby's favorite outdoor activities include chewing on sticks, jumping up and down on crunchy leaves, and hanging upside down from low branches ๐คฉ
โก๏ธ lemur.duke.edu/ultimate
Gisela's daughter will be available for donor naming for one more week! If you're interested in making a huge impact towards the care and conservation of this critically endangered species, you can make a tax-deductible donation of $20,000 to symbolically adopt and name Gisela's infant. Visit our website to learn more or email us at adoptalemur@duke.edu. Whether she ends up getting named by a donor or by her family's primary caretaker, we will be announcing her name soon! ๐
๐ฅ: Abby Flyer ... See MoreSee Less
10 CommentsComment on Facebook
๐๐๐
Goodness, I love them so muchhh๐ฅน
So cute. Family time.
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Happy first birthday to our littlest mongoose lemur, Leonor! ๐ฅณ
Keeper Leah put together a fabulous first birthday party for our "wild one!" Leonor and her parents, Bonita and Juanito, celebrated in their screened-in outdoor patio with a banner, jello "cupcakes" (pineapple juice with grapes and strawberries), and a giant cake for the birthday girl (folivore chow with smashed banana and coconut water, decorated with strawberries, grapes, and apple). All three mongoose lemurs eagerly enjoyed the snacks and sunshine! โ๏ธ
Leonor, the first critically endangered mongoose lemur infant born at the DLC since 2021, was named through our Baby's First Year: Ultimate Adopt program by generous donors Melanie and Carl. Mongoose lemurs are restricted to a tiny home range in Madagascarโs 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! ๐ฅฐ
๐ฅ: Abby Flyer ... See MoreSee Less
15 CommentsComment on Facebook
What a delicious birthday treat!๐๐ฐ
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Aye-ayes Medusa and Nirina dig into hanging honey peanut butter boxes, made by guests during our Enrichment Wild Workshop ๐
โก๏ธ lemur.duke.edu/onsite-tours-ww
Our Enrichment Wild Workshop is all about the most fun part of caring for the incredible lemurs who call the Duke Lemur Center home. Youโll learn about why enrichment is so crucial for lemur wellbeing while you make fun treats and toys for the lemurs. Then, youโll go on a special visit to see our lemur residents (including the elusive aye-ayes!) enjoying your creations. As you can see, each lemur has their own technique: Medusa prefers to pull the box to a comfortable perch, while Nirina is happy to dangle alongside it! ๐คฉ
We run Enrichment Wild Workshops on Saturday and Sunday afternoons during our off-season (October through April). We still have some tickets available for the last two weekends in April, so don't miss your chance to experience this unique program! Tickets are $75 per person and open to guests ages 10+ ๐๏ธ
Have you attended a Wild Workshop at the Duke Lemur Center? What was your favorite part? Let us know in the comments! โจ
๐ฅ: Abby Flyer ... See MoreSee Less
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
Love the aye ayes.
My type of lemur โค๏ธDuke Lemur Center
Meet a little leaping lemur who likes to bounce and play... it's Zoboomafoo's newest great-grandson! ๐
โก๏ธ lemur.duke.edu/adopt/ultimate/cassia-infant
You may remember first-time parents Cassia (granddaughter of Jovian aka Zoboomafoo) and Eustace from the birth of their son Radama the Great last April. Now they're back for a sequel: another baby boy! ๐
Born on February 11, 2026, this infant started off relatively small for his speciesโ78 grams, versus the average of just over 100 gramsโbut has quickly gained weight thanks to his fighting spirit and attentive care from mom Cassia. Eustace (photo 3) continues to be the perfect sifaka father, taking the baby from Cassia to hold and groom while his mate sunbathes. He sang to Cassia and the infant the first time he met his new son. Big brother Radama (photo 5) has also been eager to interact with the new baby. According to the familyโs primary keeper, Sarah K., โRadama is a curious first-time brother who enjoys licking his brotherโs toes and tail like a spaghetti noodle.โ ๐
Looking to make a huge impact on the care and conservation of this critically endangered species? For a tax-deductible donation of $20,000, you can symbolically adopt and NAME Cassia's infant! Visit our website to learn more at lemur.duke.edu/ultimate or email us at adoptalemur@duke.edu โจ
๐ธ: Sarah K. (1,3,5); David Haring (2,4,6,8); Abby Flyer (7) ... See MoreSee Less
304 CommentsComment on Facebook
HE LOOKS JUST LIKE HIM ๐ญ๐๐ฅฐ
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What a legacy our original Leaping Lemur has created! ๐ซก
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Blue-eyed black lemurs McAvoy and Lincoln snack on redbud ๐ธ
McAvoy, who lives with dad Lincoln and mom Leigh, will be turning three next week! Like nearly one third of lemur species, blue-eyed black lemurs are critically endangered. When McAvoy was born in 2023, he was one of only two blue-eyed black lemur infants across North America. This past year, female infant Mitsiky was the only blue-eyed black lemur infant in human care anywhere in the world. Through collaboration with accredited zoos and conservation facilities across the globe, the DLC is working to protect these incredibly rare primates from extinction ๐
๐ธ: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less
18 CommentsComment on Facebook
I used to love when the redbuds blossomed, so I could share them with my primates at the zoos I worked in. They also loved the leaves from the red tip bushes. Yummy flowers! I also loved all the lemurs I cared for because - well, I surely don't have to tell you!
Gorgeous!
Thank you for protecting the lemurs!
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Want to take photos like these? Take a stroll through the woods on our Walking with Lemurs tour! ๐ธ
โก๏ธ 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, and with no barriers between you (or your camera lens) and the lemurs! ๐คฉ
We are only able to guarantee Walking with Lemurs tours during our tour season (May to September). We are often able to open some off-season Walking with Lemurs tours, but these will only open 1-5 days in advance, as there are several weather, staffing, and animal wellbeing factors that go into the decision to free-range the lemurs in their forested habitats. Keep an eye on our website for announcements about off-season Walking with Lemurs availability, or go ahead and secure your spot for May! ๐
๐ธ: Arohan Dutt ... See MoreSee Less
7 CommentsComment on Facebook
Amazing photos
That"s always good โบ๏ธ
Forget walking I’d stay and never leave โค๏ธDuke Lemur Center
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Happy belated birthday to ring-tailed lemur Sprite, who turned 25 last week! ๐ฅณ
Sprite spends her days free-ranging in one of our beautiful forest enclosures with daughter Lulu and grandson Seagrams. As the group's matriarch, Sprite wears a radio collar so that our staff can track her and her family as they navigate their three acre habitat. At the end of a day of foraging for flowers (like redbud, one of Sprite's favorite snacks!) and leaping through the trees, Sprite and her family run indoors at the sound of a dinner bell to settle into their cozy overnight housing ๐ธ
๐ธ: Sara Nicholson ... See MoreSee Less
17 CommentsComment on Facebook
I had no idea they lived this long.
Happy Birthday Beautiful Sprite๐๐ฅฐ๐
Hi,Sprite!
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Looking for a fun FREE activity this Saturday? Check out the DLC Museum of Natural History's monthly open house! ๐ฆด
โ Where: 1013 Broad Street (NOT the main DLC campus)
โ When: Saturday 3/28 from 1-4pm
โ What: Take a look at the DLC's expansive fossil collection and our exhibit showcasing the evolutionary journey of lemurs and humans!
โ How much: FREE!
Want to learn more? Visit lemur.duke.edu/fossil โจ ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentComment on Facebook
You might as well call these fluffy primates "black and yellow ruffed lemurs" during pollen season! ๐ผ
Did you know that ruffed lemurs are the world's largest pollinators? The namesake ruffs around their faces are perfect for catching pollen when these primates stick their faces into flowers to drink nectar. By moving from flower to flower in search of sweet snacks, black and white ruffed lemurs help pollinate the forest, just like bees! Ruffed lemurs Spitzer, Halley, and Bruno show off their yellow snouts after a sunny morning foraging for flora in their forest enclosure. Just looking at them makes you want to sneeze! ๐คง
๐ธ: Keeper Sarah K. ... See MoreSee Less
11 CommentsComment on Facebook
Poor guys, they’re suffering through this like the rest of us.
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Love this fact of nature ๐
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