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 […]
Today is our first Fossil Friday, courtesy of Matt Borths, our new Curator of the DLC’s Division of Fossil Primates! This week we’re featuring… ELEPHANT BIRDS! A new species of elephant bird was announced this week: https://www.livescience.com/63675-worlds-largest-bird-is-vo…. Only a few hundred years ago, Madagascar was home to the largest bird ever known: Vorombe titan! This new genus […]
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 […]
This summer, we were extremely fortunate to have two outstanding undergrad student photographers on staff — including Patrick Ross, a work-study student in the Education Department (he was an amazing tour guide) and a member of our research team! A senior at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, Patrick left this August to study abroad […]
One of our volunteer Technician Assistants suggested recently that we add a “Staff Spotlight” to the DLC’s monthly volunteer newsletter. We loved the idea so much that we’ve expanded it into monthly blog posts as well! Many friends of the DLC know us in passing, but may not know what led us to our careers or what […]
A stunning discovery in Madagascar: Subfossilized elephant bird bones with what appears to be scarring from butchering by humans have been discovered in the southern part of the country. The bones appear to be approximately 10,000 years old, which would push first human arrival estimates back thousands of years earlier than previously thought! That is […]
The Duke Lemur Center is delighted to announce the addition of Matt Borths, Ph.D., to the DLC staff! Matt is a paleontologist who studies the evolution of animals in Africa, particularly the evolution of carnivorous mammals – including some of the oldest meat-eaters to chase down our primate ancestors! As the new Curator of the Lemur Center’s Division […]
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 […]