Two-month-old ring-tailed lemur infant Nyx peeks out from behind mom Sophia. Photo by Sara Nicholson.
On June 12th, 2023, experienced ring-tailed lemur mom Sophia gave birth to the only female ring-tailed lemur infant of the 2023 baby season! Nyx was born on the smaller side at 52 grams, but after plenty of nursing from mom, she weighed in at 77 grams just five days later. Nyx’s parents, Sophia and Randy, have had a number of offspring together over the years—all of them females!
Two-month-old Nyx nursing from mom Sophia, while older sister Nemesis looks on. Photo by Abby Flyer.
Close-up of infant Nyx nursing. Photo by David Haring.
Nyx gets her name from the Ancient Greek goddess of the night. Nyx plays a role in a number of Greek epics, including Hesiod’s Theogony and Homer’s Iliad. The mythological Nyx was said to have many offspring; among them was Nemesis, the goddess of retribution and namesake of our little Nyx’s older sister!
Whether mom Sophia is foraging, leaping, or taking a nap, baby Nyx is along for the ride! Photo by Sara Nicholson.
The best view of the world is the one from mom’s back. Photo by David Haring.
Nyx’s dad Randy is a bit of a local celebrity here at the DLC! In addition to being the adoptable ring-tailed lemur in our Adopt a Lemur program, Randy is famous for his stunning tail. In a recent contest on social media, Randy was narrowly dethroned by his son Stewart as titleholder of the Best Ring-Tail Tail at the DLC. Some members of our husbandry team still claim that Randy was robbed.
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Will Nyx grow into a tail that could rival half-brother Stewart and contend for the title? With Randy’s genes, she certainly has a fighting chance, but only time will tell.
A portrait of mom and daughter. Photo by Sara Nicholson.
