By Matt Simon. Published on Wired.com on March 5, 2019: https://www.wired.com/story/save-the-lemurs-eat-the-crickets. “One group of researchers and conservationists thinks it can also use edible insects to save endangered mammals. They’ve spent the past few years developing a program to encourage the people of Madagascar—who have historically consumed insects—to re-embrace bugs as a source of protein. That […]
By Matt Borths, Curator of the Duke Lemur Center’s Division of Fossil Primates. In the Division of Fossil Primates at the Duke Lemur Center, we have fossils that can be used to explore all the major branches of the primate family. These two dark specimens are from Prohylobates, an 18-million-year-old relative of Old World Monkeys, the […]
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 […]
New x-ray system needed – $110,000 The Duke Lemur Center has a new and “highest priority” major gift opportunity within its veterinary department. This is a $110,000 need/opportunity, and we would be thrilled to recognize the donor with a special plaque on or beside the machine during its lifetime. Here is a note from our […]
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 Matt Borths, Curator of the Duke Lemur Center’s Division of Fossil Primates. Happy #FossilFriday! Check out the jaw of Coryphodon (meaning “peaked tooth”)! This buffalo-sized behemoth walked beneath the trees that lemur and monkey relatives called home in ancient, jungle-y Wyoming 55 million years ago. Coryphodon was one of the largest mammals ever up to its […]
By Matt Borths, Curator of the Duke Lemur Center’s Division of Fossil Primates. Many of our lemurs love the chance to savor a chunk of ripe fruit, and you probably love a crispy apple or juicy strawberry when you can find one. Loving fruit is something that unites us as primates, and the fossil record of […]
By Matt Borths, Curator of the Duke Lemur Center’s Division of Fossil Primates. Meet Archaeolemur, a baboon-sized giant lemur that went extinct in Madagascar between 1,000 and 300 years ago! The fossils of giant lemurs are often found in caves. On the right is the upper leg bone of this Archaelemur as it was found in […]
