Posted December 4, 2025.
Meet Phoenix Chicken’s Twins!
Twins Flamingo and Budgie are the first offspring of fat-tailed dwarf lemur Phoenix Chicken. Photos by David Haring. Composite image created by Sara Sorraia.
We’re so excited to announce the final two infants of our 2025 season, named through our Ultimate Adoption program: Budgie and Flamingo!
Donors Cathy and Dave Higgins were moved to make a generous donation to the Duke Lemur Center when they learned about our non-invasive research program—specifically research with gray mouse lemurs that has helped shed light on devastating human diseases like Alzheimer’s. Like humans, mouse lemurs develop amyloid brain plaques and other Alzheimer’s-like symptoms as they age. Studying these tiny primates has helped lead to a new hypothesis from the lab of Anne Yoder, a biology professor at Duke University and Director of the Duke Lemur Center, and rethinking how to treat people with diseases like Alzheimer’s. If the lab’s hypothesis holds up, “it could help identify people at risk sooner, before they develop symptoms, or point to new ways to delay onset or slow progression of the disease.”
“Both of us have had close family members suffer from Alzheimer’s,” explains Dave. “I witnessed the slow and cruel progression of this terrible disease up close, as my beloved mother Jean Higgins spent the final years of her life spiraling away from us.”
While there weren’t any gray mouse lemur infants born this year, Cathy and Dave were still excited to name a pair of small nocturnal twins. In addition to donating $20,000 to symbolically adopt a pair of fat-tailed dwarf lemur twins, they generously contributed to the DLC’s Alzheimer’s/cognition research with the mouse lemurs and helped the veterinary department purchase a new ultrasound machine.
“Cathy and I are fortunate to be in a position to support critical research that may identify potential treatments to minimize the effects of Alzheimer’s and perhaps one day a cure,” says Dave.
Fat-tailed dwarf lemurs at the DLC are typically named after bird species. To help narrow down their choices, Cathy and Dave asked the husbandry team who care for the family to suggest a list of bird names for the twins. After much consideration, they decided on Budgie for the female infant and Flamingo for the male infant—two colorful birds for these bright, curious lemurs!
Budgie and Flamingo snack on a mixture of fruit and primate chow. Photo by Sarah K.
Meet Budgie and Flamingo!
10-day-old Flamingo (left) and Budgie (right) during a routine weighing. Photos by Madison A.
On May 17, 2025, fat-tailed dwarf lemur Phoenix Chicken gave birth to male and female twins! Four-year-old Phoenix Chicken is a first-time mom, though twelve-year-old dad Francolin has sired many litters.
Both twins are active and vocal, eagerly rushing to the food dish and even pushing mom out of the way to get to their meals. The female infant is a little bolder, willing to tussle with mom to get to the tastiest snacks, while the male infant is a little more laid back—which is very typical for lemurs, who are female-dominant! He still gets occasionally cheeky, occasionally snatching treats out from under mom’s nose when she’s not paying attention.
Phoenix Chicken and her twins are both active participants in the DLC’s positive reinforcement training program. The twins are great at point-follows, meaning they are learning to move to a designated spot in their enclosure in exchange for a tasty snack. This allows keepers to work on more complicated behaviors with them, such as scale training (voluntarily climbing up onto a scale to weigh themselves) and kennel training (voluntarily walking into a kennel for transportation). These voluntary behaviors minimize the amount of physical handling required, giving the lemurs agency in their own care and reducing stress to both the animals and keepers.
First-time mom Phoenix Chicken decided to build a nest for the twins out of a recycled cardboard Coca Cola box. Photo by Madison A.
Want to learn more about fat-tailed dwarf lemurs while supporting their care and conservation? You can symbolically adopt a fat-tailed dwarf lemur through our Adopt a Lemur program! You or your chosen recipient will receive an adoption packet and quarterly email updates for a year on a specific lemur who lives at the DLC.
Looking for additional ways to support the DLC? To explore the ways you can help with a tax-deductible donation, please visit our SUPPORT US page.
