As an undergraduate, primatologist and Duke alumna Elizabeth Lonsdorf (T’96) discovered her fascination with primates at the Duke Lemur Center. Now, she returns to campus as a professor and Academic Director of the DLC. By Margo Lakin, Trinity College of Arts and Sciences. Originally published on November 4, 2026. View the original. Some career paths […]
By Greg Dye, Duke Lemur Center Executive Director. Published October 28, 2026. For more than 60 years, the Duke Lemur Center has been a global leader in lemur care, conservation, education, and scientific discovery. Today, it is home to the most diverse population of lemurs outside of Madagascar, serving as an irreplaceable resource for researchers, […]
Read the Duke Lemur Center’s Stakeholder Update, sent to our donors on August 26, 2026. Questions? Contact Mary Paisley, DLC Development Director, at mary.paisley@duke.edu. August 2026 Stakeholder Update Sunshine, one of the DLC’s black and white ruffed lemurs, demonstrating “splooting” (stretching out) on the forest floor. The fur around her abdomen is not as fluffy […]
Fossil study finds that vision—not the ‘thinking’ frontal lobe—drove varied brain development in primates By Fedor Kossakovski, University Communications & Marketing. Published August 7, 2026. View the original. A new study led by a Duke University scientist overturns a long-held idea about how primates, including humans, came to have such large and sophisticated brains. The research finds […]
First record of an adult female ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) making a male-specific howl vocalization New research published on July 14 in Primates (2026) features data collected here at the Duke Lemur Center! Dr. Lisa Paciulli and her team discovered that female ring-tailed lemur Tellus, who lived at the DLC with companion Licinius, produced a […]
This summer [June 2026], the Duke University Office of Climate and Sustainability welcomed the Duke Lemur Center as part of its integrated unit—six teams working across the university to build a strong future. Duke University recently was awarded $4.4 million from The Duke Endowment for DLC support, including a newly created academic director position. Primatologist and Duke […]
Read the Duke Lemur Center’s Stakeholder Update, sent to our donors on June 17, 2026. Questions? Contact Mary Paisley, DLC Development Director, at mary.paisley@duke.edu. June 2026 Stakeholder Update Two young ring-tailed lemurs are new to exploring one of our eleven forested free-ranging enclosures. The infants, Melissa and Karl, are clinging to mom, Liesl, as their […]
By Marie Claire Chelini and Owen Covington, Trinity Communications, with additional reporting by Robin Smith, Ph.D. Posted June 11, 2026. Peter Klopfer, professor emeritus of Biology, civil rights activist and co-founder of the Duke Lemur Center, died on June 5 at the age of 95. He is survived by his wife, Martha, and their three daughters. Peter […]