Hibernation Isn’t Just For Bears. Hibernation is a common metabolic strategy found in all major groups of mammals, however, it is rare among primates. Dr. Marina Blanco will discuss how and why Fat-tailed Dwarf lemurs hibernate. Dr. Blanco has just returned from Madagascar and will discuss her research and the traits of these fascinating primates. […]
November, 11, 2014, Durham, NC — A quiet sadness spread over the Duke Lemur Center staff on Monday as news spread that Jovian, a much-loved Coquerel’s sifaka had died of kidney failure at the age of 20.5 years. Within the Lemur Center, Jovian was known as an exceptionally capable and caring father, having sired […]
October 22, 2014 6:30pm DLC Lead Technician, Julie McKinney An Unusual House Call – Saving Aye-ayes in Madagascar On the evening of March 15, 2014, in the rainforests of Madagascar, a veterinary team from the Duke Lemur Center made an unusual house call. Their patient was a female aye-aye . She was one of five […]
May 30, 2014 — In 1999 at the Duke Lemur Center, a young lemur named Eugenius started to get sick. Very sick. He was lethargic, losing weight and suffering from diarrhea. Veterinarians soon pinpointed the cause of his illness: Eugenius tested positive for Cryptosporidium, a microscopic intestinal parasite known to affect people, pets, livestock and […]
February 21, 2014 — Food-finding tests in five lemur species show that fruit-eaters may have better spatial memory than lemurs with a more varied diet. The results support the idea that relying on foods that are seasonally available and far-flung gives a competitive edge to individuals with certain cognitive abilities — such as remembering where […]
January 31, 2014. The strength of a lemur couple’s bond is reflected by the similarity of their scents, finds a new study. Read the full story in Duke Today at http://today.duke.edu/2014/01/smellysifaka.
December 18, 2013. A long-term study of aggression in lemurs finds that infants born to older mothers are less likely to get hurt than those born to younger mothers. The researchers base their findings on an analysis of detailed medical records for more than 240 ring-tailed lemurs — cat-sized primates with long black-and-white banded tails […]
September 4, 2013. By studying hibernation, a Duke University team is providing a window into why humans sleep. Observations of a little-known primate called the fat-tailed dwarf lemur in captivity and the wild has revealed that it goes for days without the deepest part of sleep during its winter hibernation season. The findings support the […]
