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 […]
By Sara Clark. Published June 21, 2018. What’s a veterinarian to do when faced with a challenging surgery on a rare species about which no veterinary manuals are written? As the veterinary staff at the Duke Lemur Center have learned, first you evaluate what you have; then you extrapolate from what you know about other species; […]
By Marina Blanco, DLC-SAVA Conservation Coordinator Published in Lemur News: The Newsletter of the Madagascar Section of the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group. Volume 21, 2018. Marina’s original article and photographs can be viewed HERE. Our research expedition to COMATSA turned out to be, at times, a journalistic rather than a scientific endeavor. Our team comprised experienced […]
Have you ever wondered how hibernation works? Or if humans could actually hibernate in real life?! (It’s a common scene in science fiction films, after all!) Check out this informative – and adorably illustrated! – video by Sheena Faherty, Ph.D., one of DLC Director Anne Yoder’s former graduate students. While pursuing her Ph.D. here at Duke, Sheena […]
By Marina Blanco, DLC-SAVA Conservation Coordinator and Lydia Greene, DLC researcher and Duke Ph.D. candidate Antananarivo, Madagascar | May 14, 2018 Lemurs are the most critically endangered group of vertebrates on Earth. Deforestation, illegal logging, and bushmeat hunting threaten 94% of lemur species in the wild, and most lemur species cannot be maintained in captivity. […]
An exciting breakthrough in understanding the chemical composition of certain compounds with anti-cancer properties in the Madagascar Rosy Periwinkle, which is already used in treatment of childhood leukemia and Hodgkin’s disease. Just another reason to ensure forest protection in Madagascar – there are no doubt other plants with important medicinal properties yet to be […]
By Sally Bornbusch. Originally published on Plan A Earth on March 8, 2018. Read the original here. The proof is in the poop When most people think of faeces (poop), their initial reaction is one of disgust or dread. But in the world of lemur research and conservation, poop has become an invaluable tool that […]
This winter, specialists from Triangle Veterinary Referral Hospital in Durham, NC assisted veterinarians at the Duke Lemur Center in the diagnosis and removal of rare cystine stones in the gallbladder of Junebug, a pygmy slow loris. The team’s detection and successful treatment of Junebug’s gallstones could improve medical care for lorises living at zoos and […]
