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Celebrate spooky season with the Duke Lemur Center's nocturnal residents in our new Creatures of the Night Wild Workshop! 🖤
➡️ lemur.duke.edu/onsite-tours-ww
This brand new program focuses on the incredible nocturnal primates of the Duke Lemur Center! You’ll learn what makes these animals so special, and maybe even hear a few spooky tales, while you watch them enjoy the enrichment you made for them. Please note that we will devote all of our time to the nocturnal species, so we will only have the opportunity to see fat-tailed dwarf lemurs, gray mouse lemurs, Moholi bush babies, and aye-ayes during this program 🎃
This evening program will be offered 5-7PM on most Thursday and Friday evenings in October and is open to guests ages 10+. Tickets must be booked in advance and are available NOW on our website! 🎟
📸: David Haring
Ring-tailed lemur Sophia's daughters finally have names—meet Elisabet and Doris! 💕
➡️ lemur.duke.edu/elisabet-doris
We’re thrilled to share that another dedicated DLC volunteer has made a heartfelt donation through an Ultimate Adoption! Inspired by the incredible story of a small group of our education docents, who collectively raised $20,000 to adopt and name Spock and help the DLC during a particularly difficult budget year, she felt moved to give back in a meaningful way 🥰
Her gift is not only an act of compassion—it’s a tribute. With this adoption, she honors the memory of her beloved family members, Elisabeth and Doris, two sisters whose legacy of kindness lives on through this contribution. We are deeply grateful for her generosity and the ripple effect it creates. At the Duke Lemur Center, every gift tells a story—and this one speaks of love, remembrance, and hope 💙
Need help telling these tiny twins apart? Elisabet is slightly larger and has yellow eyes, while Doris is slightly smaller and has orange eyes 💛🧡
📸: David Haring (1); Sara Nicholson (2)
3 CommentsComment on Facebook
I love the names! Plus the sweet little ones!
🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷
Hibiscus flowers for Bonita and family 🌺
Mongoose lemurs Bonita, Juanito, and their five-month-old daughter sniff some fresh hibiscus flowers on the summer tour path! While some lemurs like eating flowers, this family preferred to enjoy the hibiscus with their noses and not their mouths. Because scent is such an important sense for lemurs, scent enrichment is a fantastic way to engage their curiosity 🥰
It's getting harder and harder to tell baby and her mom apart as the infant continues to grow, but dad Juanito is easy to identify with his orange beard—mongoose lemurs are sexually dichromatic, so the girls both sport white chins 🧡🤍
📸: David Haring
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Happy #MadagascarMonday! We're excited to announce that Dr. James Herrera has been appointed the DLC's new Director of Conservation 💚
➡️ lemur.duke.edu/james-herrera-conservation
After nearly 40 years of dedicated service to conservation in Madagascar, Charlie Welch has retired from his role as Conservation Coordinator at the Duke Lemur Center. While Charlie will be deeply missed, we are thrilled to announce that Dr. James Herrera has accepted the position of Director of Conservation! James is an exceptional choice to carry forward Charlie’s legacy. With a deep commitment to conservation and a wealth of experience, he is uniquely positioned to expand the impact of our work in Madagascar and beyond 🌍
James previously served as the Duke Lemur Center’s SAVA Program Coordinator, based in the SAVA region of Madagascar, where he led a range of conservation initiatives. In his new role, he will split his time between Durham, NC, and Madagascar, continuing to lead our dedicated team on the ground in Madagascar—including Project Coordinator Lanto Andrianandrasana, who remains based in the SAVA region. We are excited to welcome James into this new role and look forward to the continued growth and success of our conservation efforts under his leadership! 🌱
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POV: you're watching crowned lemurs Reign and Hapi getting increasingly enthusiastic about their veggies 🤩
Did you know that some lemur pairs at the DLC need to be separated for their meals? Because lemurs are female dominant, some lemur ladies can be a little stingy with their food and prevent their male companions from eating. All lemurs at the DLC have individualized diet plans, so sometimes lemurs in a given troop might have different dietary restrictions and need to eat on their own to make sure they get the proper food. Of course, whenever lemurs reunite, they have to sniff around in case their companions have any tasty leftovers! 🥬🥕
📸: David Haring
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Looking to visit the lemurs during the off-season (October to April)? Sign up for one of our Wild Workshops! 🤩
➡️ lemur.duke.edu/onsite-tours-ww
Our most popular off-season program is our Enrichment Wild Workshop, running most Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 1:30-3:30pm. Visitors get crafty, making fun treats and toys while learning about the value of enrichment in animal welfare. You'll get to watch lemurs enjoy your creations, including a trip to see the elusive aye-ayes! This program is open to guests ages 10+ and tickets must be booked in advance, so visit our website now to secure your spot 💙
We're also offering TWO NEW weekday evening Wild Workshop themes: Creatures of the Night and Extreme Evolution! Stay tuned for future posts highlighting these new programs, or read more and book now on our website at lemur.duke.edu/onsite-tours-ww ✨
📸: David Haring (1); Sara Sorraia (2); Abby Flyer (3,4)
1 CommentComment on Facebook
I love the lemurs. Very much.
Coquerel's sifaka brothers Majorian and Felix engage in playful aerial acrobatics 💞
Just like most primate species, play is an essential part of life for young lemurs! Nine-month-old Majorian is lucky enough to have three built-in playmates: older brother Felix, older sister Camilla, and dad Gabe. (Mom Lupicina is more of a no-nonsense dominant female, but she will occasionally join in when she's in the right mood.) Four-year-old Felix has been a particularly involved older sibling, eager to play with his newest family member since the day he first met infant Majorian. Coquerel's sifakas (as well as some other species) make a "play face" at conspecifics—mouth open, eyes wide—to solicit play behavior, which can involve jumping, wrestling, grabbing tails, and chasing from tree to tree 🤪
📸: Sara Nicholson
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We can’t imagine a more peaceful way to start the day 🌤️
➡️ lemur.duke.edu/wwl
Get an early start to your day on an 8:30am Walking with Lemurs tour! Enjoy the sights and sounds of hungry lemurs snacking on their favorite flora in the crisp September air. The lemurs are released out into their forest enclosures minutes before the tour begins, so you’ll see how these incredible primates like to start their day, and the cooler autumn temperatures often result in more energetic, excited lemurs 🤩
For late risers, Walking with Lemurs tours are also available at 10:30am 😉
Our tour season runs through the end of September, so be sure to book your Walking with Lemurs tour before the temperatures drop too low for free-ranging! You can learn more and make your reservation at lemur.duke.edu/wwl ✨
🎥: Abby Flyer
11 CommentsComment on Facebook
. . . Leaping Lemurs!!! . . . .
I love them. I hope we can conserve their habitat in Madagascar.
So special. ❤️
Sound on for fat-tailed dwarf lemur breakfast ASMR 😍
Three-month-old fat-tailed dwarf lemur triplets Toulouse Goose, Bufflehead, and Smew emerged from their nest before lights out to get a head start on their breakfast! The three sisters were born to parents Dominique Chicken and Goose back in June and live in one of the DLC's free-ranging nocturnal rooms. Their fruits, veggies, and primate chow are chopped into tiny chunks and served on frisbees—otherwise, these tiny girls would be nibbling on primate biscuits bigger than their bodies! Mom and dad enjoyed their breakfast nearby on their own frisbee 💕
🎥: Keeper Sarah M.
18 CommentsComment on Facebook
Breakfast sounds wonderful! 💚💜💜
Be still my beating heart (melting) ... How does anyone at DLC get any work done .. oh wait -- this is work for the team (smiling) ... Thank you for brightening my newsfeed on here. 🫠🥰💓
They are so cute
There are still spots available for this fall's Forever Learning Weekend 🤩
rsvp.duke.edu/event/a4ff0fea-d513-4864-974d-d3812299c80e/summary
Immerse yourself in a weekend of exploration and discovery! During Forever Learning Weekend (October 3-5), participants will have the unique opportunity to engage with the research conducted by the DLC faculty and staff. These experts will lead you in up-close lemur encounters, seminars, and demonstrations, where you can actively participate in discussions on lemur welfare, veterinary care, conservation, and the DLC's research and science in Durham and Madagascar. This is your chance to unleash your inner scientist at an unforgettable weekend. While this event is organized by the Duke Alumni Association, you do not need to be a Duke alum to attend! 💙
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Is this a new program offering? Are the normal Lemur Tours included in the weekend, or would those be add-ons? When do the Lemur Tours end for the fall/winter? Duke Lemur Center Thank you! Love the DLC, was there for 2 long weekends of many tours, 2015 and 2017, time to come back!
They are beautiful.
My dream weekend .. Sadly, I have commitments through 15 Nov ... (sigh) .. I will get to meet the lemurs and team one day .. Hopefully sooner than later
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Spooky time with double dose of Cuteness 😍😍😍😍💓😍😊
Scott Stapp
Mitch Silverman