Lemurs in Danger: Why the wide-eyed primate is under threat By Laura Pellicer and Frank Stasio Aired August 7, 2018 on WUNC 91.5 North Carolina Public Radio The vast majority of lemur species are under threat, according to a new review from a group of international conservationists. The group convened by the International Union for […]
Lemurs are intelligent, and because they’re intelligent, they can get bored. So, 365 days of the year, the DLC’s dedicated Primate Technicians help ensure that our lemurs’ lives are interesting. One of those technicians is Kate Byrnes, a four-year veteran of the DLC who works closely with Curator of Behavioral Management Meg Dye to provide novel […]
By Lydia Greene, DLC researcher and Duke Ph.D. candidate; and Marina Blanco, Ph.D., DLC-SAVA Conservation Coordinator. Published July 27, 2018. Since the advent of the genetics revolution, researchers have flocked to Madagascar to collect lemur samples for sequencing. Such analyses can provide a wealth of information for empiricists, by asking questions like “How did lemurs […]
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. […]