Helianthus’s three infants, just a few days old, are handled by a keeper for their infant wellness exams.
Nocturnal baby season continues with gray mouse lemur Helianthus, who gave birth on July 31, 2026, to triplets! The triplets, one male and two females, are three-year-old Helianthus’s first offspring, though dad Hazelnut has sired other infants in previous years.
The male infant and smaller of the two females were both born at 6.2 grams, while the larger female weighed in at 7.4 grams. Now two months old, the three juveniles each weigh between 50-60 grams—about the weight of a chicken egg!
At the Duke Lemur Center, gray mouse lemurs are named after plants, herbs, and spices. Mom Helianthus is the genus name for sunflowers!
Helianthus’s infants are available for an Ultimate Adoption! A new tax-deductible donation of $20,000, which you can opt to pay half now and half in the next year, will allow you the honor of helping the DLC to choose the names for these infants!
One of the female infants has lighter fur than her brother and sister!
One of the smaller two infants at their wellness exam… and yes, that’s a little yogurt cup for weighing!
Photos of two of the infants exploring their enclosure after dark.