By Matt Borths, Curator of the Duke Lemur Center’s Division of Fossil Primates. Meet Megaladapis, a gorilla-sized lemur that would have moved like an enormous koala! This giant lemur only went extinct between 500 and 300 years ago. Some researchers think there are trees in Madagascar that are still around that relied on Megaladapis to […]
Thrasher, a 12-year-old fat-tailed dwarf lemur, proudly displays his beautiful thick tail — evidence that the DLC’s mouse and dwarf lemurs have begun entering the initial phases of their yearly period of torpor! If Thrasher were a wild lemur living in Madagascar, the fat stored in his tail would help him survive the cool dry […]
Today is our first Fossil Friday, courtesy of Matt Borths, our new Curator of the DLC’s Division of Fossil Primates! This week we’re featuring… ELEPHANT BIRDS! A new species of elephant bird was announced this week: https://www.livescience.com/63675-worlds-largest-bird-is-vo…. Only a few hundred years ago, Madagascar was home to the largest bird ever known: Vorombe titan! This new genus […]
New paper out on the sifaka gut microbiome and metabolome relative to the quality of dietary foliage, using non-invasive research done right here at the Duke Lemur Center! Read the full article here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-32759-7. For a great introduction to the gut microbiome, why it’s critical for lemurs’ health, and the practical use and benefits of the […]
