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FROM THE ARCHIVES: Could People Hibernate? Lemurs Give Clues

By Mollie Bloudoff-Indelicato. Originally published on September 4, 2013 in National Geographic online. View the original here. Pictured: A fat-tailed dwarf lemur peeks out of a tree in Madagascar. Photograph by Frans Lanting, National Geographic.   Ever wished you could hibernate? Ask a fat-tailed dwarf lemur how it’s done. These mini-primates have a talent that could […]

Ring-tailed lemur scent-marking — and breeding season!

Six-year-old male ring-tailed lemur Jones may look like he is a lemur somewhat lacking in arms as he sniffs a sapling in Natural Habitat Enclosure #9, but rest assured, he is a well-armed male in the prime of life! His odd posture is due to the fact that, in typical male ring-tail marking behavior, he […]

Plants Can’t Talk. But Some Fruits Say ‘Eat Me’ to Animals.

“Some plants in Madagascar may have evolved fruit colors so that they can be seen by lemurs that are red-green colorblind.” Super interesting article — and a Duke University researcher is featured too! Plants Can’t Talk. But Some Fruits Say ‘Eat Me’ to Animals. By JoAnna Klein. Originally published in the New York Times on October 9, 2018. Read […]

100 Words: Feeding the Microbes Within

Originally published on the Duke Research blog on September 27, 2018. By Robin Smith.  To digest his leafy diet, this sifaka gets a little help from the trillions of bacteria that inhabit his gut. Sifaka lemurs living at the Duke Lemur Center feed on a range of wild plants during warm months, such as fresh sumac, tulip […]

Torpor season is drawing nigh!

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 […]

NEW PAPER! The critical role of dietary foliage in maintaining sifakas’ gut microbiome

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 […]

Hurricane Florence Update

It’s been a drizzly Friday at the DLC, but thankfully not much more than that from Hurricane Florence so far! The winds have been off and on and have become more steady this afternoon. There are small branches down on Lemur Lane and around the DLC but nothing damaging. And as usual, our world-class animal care […]

DLC staff prepare for Hurricane Florence

By Sara Clark. Photos by DLC staff. THANK YOU to everyone who has expressed concern for the safety of the DLC’s lemurs and staff as we prepare for the arrival Hurricane Florence. We feel so cared for and loved! We’re taking every precaution to ensure the well-being of all of the primates – human, loris, […]