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Duke Lemur Center

2 days ago

Let's eat grass with mama 💕

Ring-tailed lemur mama Sophia and her four-month-old twin girls love to forage out in their forest enclosure. Ring-tailed lemurs, who hail from southern Madagascar's spiny deserts, have one of the most diverse diets across all lemur species. Adapted to survive in the hot, dry desert, these hearty lemurs can expand their diet (beyond the typical fruits, veggies, leaves, and flowers) to include bugs, lizards, bark, and even dirt when they need to take in extra nutrients 😋

📸: Sara Nicholson ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

3 days ago

If there's one thing Coquerel's sifaka Arcadius is going to do, it's pose like a model 😎

Can you believe that this handsome sifaka is almost 10 months old? He probably gets his camera-ready charm from his grandpa, Jovian aka Zoboomafoo. Arcadius has become much more independent, sometimes spending time all by himself while his family members forage in a nearby tree. At this point, he's not much smaller than older brother Silas! 🥰

➡️ lemur.duke.edu/adopt

Want to stay up-to-date with Arcadius and his family? You can symbolically adopt his mom, Gisela, through our Adopt a Lemur program to receive quarterly updates on the group! Adoptions are available at two annual levels ($50 and $100) and help fund the care of Arcadius and his fellow DLC residents, as well as the conservation of his wild relatives in Madagascar. Symbolic adoptions make great gifts for hard-to-shop-for friends and family and are a great way to stay connected with the DLC on a more personal level 💙

📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

5 days ago

Sweet potato for the sweetest baby girl 🍠💕

Mongoose lemur Bonita has slowly started to wean her female infant! Baby spends most of her time jumping around on her own and eats all sorts of solid foods now. Her favorites include mango, melon, grapes, and sweet potato, but she always seems excited to try out new snacks. She now participates in positive reinforcement training, willingly hopping onto a scale with her parents in exchange for a treat 😋

➡️ lemur.duke.edu/visit

Have you seen Bonita's baby on our summer tour path? There's still time to book a General Tour or a Private Tour before our tour season ends the last weekend of September! General Tours follow an open house format, allowing guests to stroll the path at their own pace and chat with our amazing volunteer docents at each lemur enclosure, while Private Tours visit the same animals but with one dedicated tour guide just for you and your small group. Advanced reservations are required to see the lemurs, so book your tickets now on our website! ✨

📸: Sarah K. ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

7 days ago

Happy 2nd birthday to crowned lemur Reign! 🥳

Female crowned lemur Reign was born at Brandywine Zoo and transferred to the DLC in March as a breeding partner for a young crowned lemur male, Hapi. From the moment she arrived, Reign has charmed DLC staff with her sassy attitude and her long, thorough grooming sessions with her new mate. She loves to peek through the window of her enclosure to watch the keepers eat lunch, and it has been so exciting to watch her gain confidence as she grows more comfortable with Hapi and her new environment 🥰

📸: Sarah M. (1,3,5); Allie M. (2); Sarah K. (4) ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

1 week ago

Like father, like son 💕

Fifteen-year-old Coquerel's sifaka Rupert has been living with mate Gisela for over a decade, and the two have had six offspring together! Two of their youngest kids have gotten lots of social media attention recently: nine-month-old Arcadius, the first infant of our 2025 Baby Season; and four-year-old Cassia, who just made Rupert and Gisela grandparents for the first time with baby Radama. Three-year-old Silas, pictured here in alternating photos with his dad, has been a superstar on our Walking with Lemurs tours and is a favorite DLC resident of many staff members, so we wanted to make sure he got his time in the spotlight, too 🤩

📸: Sara Nicholson (Rupert 1/3/5, Silas 2/4/6) ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

1 week ago

Ring-tailed lemur Aristides, one of the Duke Lemur Center’s oldest residents, died on July 21, 2025 at the age of 32 ❤️

Over the course of his three decades at the DLC, Aristides played a key role in non-invasive research studying lemur intelligence. He first made headlines in a 2004 article in DukeTODAY, where his ability to learn sequences of pictures on a touchscreen upended neuroscientist Elizabeth Brannon’s preconceived notions of prosimian cognition. Through hundreds of trials, Aristides demonstrated an ability to repeat arbitrary sequences and discriminate between quantities, getting increasingly more accurate as he “learned how to learn.” These skills indicate to scientists that our human numerical proficiency may have evolved much earlier in the primate lineage than previously believed. Aristides’s research has since been featured in a variety of publications, including the March 2008 issue of National Geographic 🔍

Beyond his contributions to science, Aristides was a beloved member of the DLC’s colony. Despite the severe arthritis he developed in his later years, Aristides never lost his zest for life. He took his pain medication willingly and eagerly twice a day (it was injected into the end of a ripe banana) and loved to spend warm afternoons sunbathing in a hammock. Aristides was always very sweet with his long-term geriatric companion, Lilah; the two could often be found grooming and cuddling in a basket together. He was also a phenomenal finger painter, always eager to sit his entire butt on the canvas in exchange for grapes 🎨

In mid-July, the DLC’s veterinary team identified large masses on his liver and pancreas, indicating that Aristides was on the brink of liver failure. To prevent him from suffering, the animal care team made the decision to humanely euthanize Aristides. His final days were filled with painting sessions, all of his favorite snacks, and heartfelt goodbyes from the staff who cared for him 💕

Thank you so much to everyone who cared for, visited, and loved Aristides!

📸: Sarah M. (1,4); David Haring (2,8); Sara Sorraia (3); Abby Flyer (5) ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

1 week ago

Happy Tuesday from blue-eyed beauty McAvoy 🤗

McAvoy is the youngest male blue-eyed black lemur in our colony. He was born in 2023 to parents Leigh and Lincoln. You might have met McAvoy in one of our off-season Wild Workshops, or you might know his older brother, Brady, from his fabulous paintings! Blue-eyed black lemurs like McAvoy are one of the most critically endangered species, with possibly fewer than 1,000 left in their wild habitat. Through both collaborations with Malagasy organizations and our conservation breeding program here in North America, the Duke Lemur Center is working to save incredible species like the blue-eyed black lemur from extinction 💙

Want to learn how you can help? Visit lemur.duke.edu/donate to learn all the ways that you can contribute to the care and conservation of these beautiful animals 🌍

Bonus: scroll to the end to see a throwback pic of baby McAvoy! We can't believe how much he's grown up in just two years 😍

📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

2 weeks ago

POV: you're a baby ring-tailed lemur exploring the forest with your family 😍

➡️ lemur.duke.edu/ultimate

Sophia and Randy's twins are four months old! These tiny girls love nothing more than to bounce, play, wrestle, and snack in their natural habitat enclosure—under the watchful eye of their mom, dad, and two older sisters. Of course, at the end of a rambunctious play session in the summer sun, there's nothing better than climbing onto mom Sophia's back for an afternoon nap ☀️

Think you have the perfect names for these energetic sisters? With a tax-deductible donation of $20,000 (payable in two installments), YOU—or your family, company, organization, etc—can *symbolically* adopt and name these little lemurs. Your donation contributes to the care of the infants, their family, and all of the other lemurs who reside in our colony. Adoptions include quarterly email updates, complete with social media-worthy photos and videos, and a visit to the DLC to meet your adopted infant. Visit our website to learn more or email us directly at adoptalemur@duke.edu if you're ready to make a contribution! 💙

📸: Sara Nicholson ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

2 weeks ago

Our team had an exciting final day at #IPS2025! 🤩

On the last day, two DLC team members presented their work: postdoc Rolande presented on our investigation of landscape restoration, and environmental educator Evrard highlighted how our program is changing lives 💚

DLC researcher Antonin gave a talk in a symposium on his project, "Nocturnal Lemur Density and Distribution in Relation to Tree-Fall Canopy Gaps in the Masoala-Makira Landscape, Northeast Madagascar," which is part of his master’s project. He also served as the chair for the "Conservation Prosimians" session and presented another project, "Anthropogenic and Natural Disturbance Effects on Lemur Density and Distribution in Andohahela National Park, Southeast Madagascar" 🌳

Dr Jorg Ganzhorn presented and received the Outstanding Primatologist Award, highlighting the challenges and causes for hope for lemur conservation. Long-time Duke Lemur Center supporter, Dr Ganzhorn has been leading lemur research and conservation for more than 30 years. It was an honor to see him speak! 🎖

Lemurs are great, but the challenges we face are global, so it is essential to learn how people are tackling obstacles in Vietnam, Amazonia, and Peru. Conservation leader Russ Mittermeier reminded us that lemurs are a global priority 🌍

As always, the IPS Congress closed with an amazing ceremony honoring many Madagascar conservation leaders and an awesome dance party. It was a great week and we look forward to seeing all our colleagues in China for #IPS2027! ... See MoreSee Less