You may have seen news of the out-of-control sapphire mining in recent years in eastern Madagascar and its impact on forests and lemurs, but here is a relatively recent write-up by National Geographic: “How the Sapphire Trade Is Driving Lemurs toward Extinction: A rush for Madagascar’s gemstones is destroying remaining habitat for imperiled lemurs and […]
A 53-year archive of life history data for the world’s largest and most diverse population of endangered primates is now available for free download online. Fully updated in February 2019, the Duke Lemur Center database allows visitors to view and download data for more than 3,700 animals representing 27 species of lemurs, lorises, and galagos. […]
By Robin Smith. February 13, 2019. DURHAM, N.C. — Lemurs and killer whales have more in common than you might think. Sure, one prefers bananas and the other fish. And while lemurs are cat-sized, killer whales can grow to nearly the size of a bus. But both creatures can form friendships, solve puzzles and live […]
By Karl Bates. Originally published November 2007: https://today.duke.edu/2007/11/lemurs.html. Sarph lives. He’s nearly 15 years old, and he knows where the predators lurk, where to find food, and how to make a baby with his wild-born mate. Seven-year-old brothers Tany and Masoandro are there too, in the steep and steamy rainforest of the Betampona Reserve in northeastern […]
FROM THE ARCHIVES: DLC in the media from ’04 to ’15! Lemurs chat only with their best friends Dec. 28, 2015 Science News Up close with lemur gut bugs Oct. 29, 2015 American Scientist The aye-aye and the finger of death Oct. 29, 2015 Pacific Standard Duke Lemur Center educates and entertains June 23, 2015 […]
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 […]
By Robin A. Smith. Originally published in DukeTODAY on August 21, 2018. Read the original HERE. DURHAM, N.C. — Discovered more than half a century ago in Kenya and sitting in museum storage ever since, the roughly 20-million-year-old fossil Propotto leakeyi was long classified as a fruit bat. Now, it’s helping researchers rethink the early […]
By Robin Smith. Published in Duke Today on June 28, 2018. Read the original HERE. Some people watch the competition carefully for the slightest signs of weakness. Lemurs, on the other hand, just give them a sniff. These primates from Madagascar can tell that a fellow lemur is weaker just by the natural scents they […]
