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Duke Lemur Center

1 day ago

Who's the cutest couple at the Duke Lemur Center??? 💕

We asked DLC staff to nominate their favorite lemur couples, but we need YOUR help to determine the cutest of them all! Here are the nominees:

💙 Brady and Malala (blue-eyed black lemurs) are a young couple who are absolutely inseparable! Brady is a dedicated partner who follows Malala wherever she leads. They haven't had any offspring together yet, but Brady is a relentless flirt who's always making their home extra stinky for his lady!

💚 Remus and Francesca (Coquerel's sifakas) have been a power couple since their very first introduction, where Remus immediately sang to Francesca and began to groom her. They recently expanded their family with the birth of their first offspring, four-month-old Junius, and spend most of their time co-parenting their rambunctious son.

🧡 Hapi and Reign (crowned lemurs) are one of the DLC's newest and youngest pairs! Two-year-old Reign is three-year-old Hapi's first breeding partner. They love to spend hours thoroughly grooming one another—when they're not running around with all that youthful energy!

❤️ Randy and Sophia (ring-tailed lemurs) are almost impossible to photograph without one of their many daughters peeking her head in. Randy and Sophia have spent the past decade together, producing seven daughters in that time. They love to cuddle up in a big lemur ball with their girls.

💜 Bonita and Juanito (mongoose lemurs) celebrated the birth of their first offspring last year, Leonor, and spent the summer on the tour path serving as ambassadors for this critically endangered species. They're both enthusiastic artists, and their creativity has only doubled with the addition of their daughter into their finger painting sessions.

Let us know in the comments who should be crowned cutest couple, and the winning pair will enjoy some special Valentine's-themed enrichment 🥰🏅

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

Duke Lemur Center

2 days ago

Wishing Duke Men's Basketball luck in the Duke vs. UNC game tonight! Go Blue Devils! 💙😈

📸: Sara Sorraia ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

4 days ago

Somebody call the Olympics, because Junius is turning into a little athlete! 🏆

At almost four months old, Coquerel's sifaka Junius is growing more confident by the day. Whether he's grabbing mom Francesca's head, bouncing off dad Remus's back, or swinging from branches all on his own, this little acrobat has quite a lot of energy! Keepers caring for the family have even seen him playing in a completely separate room from mom and dad, curiously exploring while his parents enjoy a meal in a basket together. Junius has mastered the "play face," a lemur facial expression with an open mouth and wide eyes (see the third photo for an example!) 🤩

📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

5 days ago

Looking for a summer activity where you get to spend time outdoors, chat with members of the community, and learn all about the most endangered mammals in the world? Apply to be a volunteer education docent at the Duke Lemur Center! 🤩

➡️ lemur.duke.edu/volunteer

Applications are open now through the end of February! We're looking for folks of all ages (16+) with a passion for learning and chatting to volunteer a minimum of two shifts a month from May through September. No previous lemur knowledge necessary—our education staff will teach you everything you need to know! 💙

📸: Abby Flyer ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

6 days ago

It's not too late to book tickets for this weekend's Love and Lemurs Wild Workshops! 💖

➡️ lemur.duke.edu/engage/onsite-tours-ww

Did you know that lemurs have wildly different reproductive strategies than their other primate relatives like monkeys, apes, and us? Have you ever wondered how lemurs choose their mates, how many infants a lemur can have, or why the DLC participates in a conservation breeding program? Find out the answers to those questions and so much more during this in-depth Wild Workshop all about lemur reproduction! 😍

This workshop will include fascinating and overt discussions of primate sexuality and reproductive behaviors, so registration is limited to guests who are 18 or older. Spots are limited, so be sure to book ASAP! 🎟

📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

1 week ago

Snow cones, anyone? 🍧❄️

Keeper Sarah K. made delicious frozen treats for some of the DLC's residents this morning! Her menu included two flavors: peanut butter for the Coquerel's sifakas, and grape (literally snow topped with squeezed grapes, with craisins hidden at the bottom as a surprise treat) for the mongoose lemurs and ring-tailed lemurs 🥜🍇

Photos feature (in order): mongoose lemur Maddie, Coquerel's sifakas Radama the Great and Cassia, ring-tailed lemur Fritz, mongoose lemurs Duggan and Clancy, ring-tailed lemur Narcissa, and one bonus photo of 10-month-old Radama with peanut butter all over his face 😅

Who had your favorite photo? Let us know in the comments!

📸: Keeper Sarah K. ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

1 week ago

Another snowy Sunday at the DLC! ❄️

The only thing better than playing in the snow is getting to stay in the warm indoors while you do it! Keeper Isabella turned the winter weather into foraging enrichment by hiding craisins in buckets of fresh-scooped snow. Mongoose lemurs Murray and Fernanda, red ruffed lemurs Mae and Hoku, and crowned lemurs Sanura and Ma'at had a great time sniffing for snacks and taking in the "cool" new sensory experience! 🤩

Special shoutout, once again, to the husbandry staff who stayed overnight in our cabin (see last photo) to ensure that they would be ready and able to care for the lemurs this morning, despite icy roads and unsafe travel conditions. We couldn't do what we do without our dedicated staff! 💙

📸: Keeper Isabella ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

1 week ago

Looking to celebrate this Valentine's Day with love and lemurs? Look no further than our handy Valentine's Gift Guide! 💖

Whether this year's special someone is your partner, your friend, your parent, your kid, or even yourself (#treatyourself!), the Duke Lemur Center has perfect gift options—and all gifts give back directly to the care and conservation of the world's most endangered mammals 🥰 ... See MoreSee Less