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Duke Lemur Center

15 hours ago

Ring-tailed matriarch Liesl and her troop enjoy the last few warm days of autumn ☀️

17-year-old Liesl leads a small troop of ring-tailed lemurs as they free-range in a nearly 16 acre forest enclosure. On sunny autumn days, Liesl and her family can often be found "sun worshiping," a term for the way that lemurs sit upright and sun their bellies. This is a form of thermoregulation, helping them stay warm on cooler days by heating up their bellies in the sunshine. Matriarch Liesl is identifiable by her orange radio collar, which dominant females of free-ranging troops will wear at the DLC to allow staff to locate the lemurs in the woods. If we can find Liesl, we know that the rest of the troop will be nearby! ✨

📸: Sara Nicholson ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

4 days ago

Not all blue eyes look the same 👀💙

Blue-eyed black lemur pair Brady and Malala free-range together in their forest enclosure. Brady has arguably the brightest blue eyes in the DLC's colony of this critically endangered species, while Malala's are so pale that they almost appear white in photos. Maybe the blue just stands out more starkly against Brady's black fur!

Fun fact: blue-eyed black lemurs are the only lemurs with blue eyes, and one of the only primate species with blue eyes 🤩

📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

6 days ago

How are lemurs laying the groundwork for interstellar travel? 🚀

➡️ today.duke.edu/2025/10/how-lemurs-are-laying-groundwork-interstellar-travel

In a newly published article in Duke Today, DLC researcher Dr. Ana Breit discusses her hibernation research with fat-tailed dwarf lemurs and how our tiny relatives might help scientists develop a form of human hibernation for space travel. Fat-tailed dwarf lemurs, who hibernate at tropical temperatures, could offer a solution to preserving cognitive function during long-term unconsciousness. Collaborating with researchers in the United States and across the ocean in Madagascar, Dr. Breit hopes that the DLC's non-invasive research can yield new breakthroughs in this interdisciplinary journey to the stars ✨

📸: David Haring (lemurs); Abby Flyer (graphic) ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

6 days ago

Coquerel's sifaka Rupert looks positively precious during scale training 😍

Rupert participates in his own healthcare by voluntarily weighing himself! Many individuals in our colony are trained to climb onto a scale on their own after treats are placed onto the scale and the scale is tared so it doesn't include the weight of the treats. In this photo, Rupert is waiting patiently to receive a few extra nuts after climbing on! 🥜

➡️ shop.duke.edu/specialties/duke-shoppes/lemur

You can support the care of critically endangered lemurs like Rupert by buying merchandise from our online store! Recreate Rupert's portrait with your own plush Coquerel's sifaka, custom designed for the DLC, or rep your lemur love with shirts, magnets, mugs, and more 💕

📸: Keeper Megan (Rupert photo), Anna Scotton (meme) ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

7 days ago

That's a wrap on our summer tour season—welcome to autumn! 🍂

➡️ lemur.duke.edu/visit

We have officially moved into our off-season! From now until the end of April, our tour offerings will be a little more limited as the lemurs prepare for the cooler weather. During the off-season months, we still have ways to visit the lemurs—book a ticket on a Wild Workshop or schedule a Behind the Scenes tour to see our colony in their cozy winter enclosures! We will also be adding some off-season Walking with Lemurs Tours and General Tours when weather allows, but these can only be determined week-of, so keep an eye on our website and social media for announcements 👀

📸: Sara Nicholson ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

1 week ago

Ring-tailed lemurs Fritz and Narcissa enjoy the crisp autumn air 🍂

Of all of the lemur species who call the DLC home, ring-tailed lemurs are the heartiest and most resistant to more extreme temperatures. They hail from the spiny desert of southern Madagascar and have evolved to live in the hot, dry climate. This weather resistance also helps on the other end, allowing them to comfortably spend time outdoors at slightly lower temperatures than many other species. Of course, during especially chilly NC winter days, all of the DLC's lemurs will stay snug and warm in their indoor enclosures 💙

📸: Sara Nicholson ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

2 weeks ago

Coquerel's sifaka Majorian is really getting the hang of free-ranging! 🍃

Sometimes known as the “dancing lemur,” Coquerel’s sifakas are most famous for their bipedal hopping. When moving from tree to tree, sifakas use a mode of locomotion called vertical clinging and leaping—these animals maintain a distinctly vertical posture and leap through the trees using just the strength of their back legs. These long, powerful legs can easily propel them distances of up to 30 feet! At nine months old, Majorian is fully independent and is able to keep up with his family as they hop through the forest 🤗

📸: Sara Nicholson ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

2 weeks ago

Ruffed lemur Kepler munches on local plants in her natural habitat enclosure 🌱

Check out the second photo for a close up look at Kepler's tooth comb! This adaptation, composed of the four or six teeth (depending on species) at the front of a lemur's bottom jaw, is present in every lemur species besides aye-ayes. The teeth involved are their mandibular incisors and incisiform canines. Tooth combs are used for grooming, as lemurs run them through their fur to remove dirt or bugs that might get stuck in their fluffy coats 😁

📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less

Duke Lemur Center

2 weeks ago

We're in the final stretch of our summer tour season, and there's still tickets left on our Walking with Lemurs tours! 🤩

➡️ lemur.duke.edu/wwl

The final day of tour season is this upcoming MONDAY, 9/29! Don't miss your chance to watch these incredible primates snack, snooze, leap, and play in their natural habitat enclosures. (Duke Forest looks especially beautiful this time of year as we usher in autumn!) There are still a handful of tickets available in the upcoming days, so head over to our website to secure your slot 🎟

We will hopefully be able to open some off-season Walking with Lemurs tours as we move into October, but these will only open 1-5 days in advance, as there are several weather, staffing, and animal wellbeing factors that go into the decision to free-range the lemurs in their forested habitats. Keep an eye on our website and social media for announcements about off-season Walking with Lemurs availability! 🍂

📸: Sara Nicholson ... See MoreSee Less