- Discover: Research
- Engage: Education
- Protect: Conservation
- Get Involved
- Support Us
- About
- Schedule Visit
- Donate
Founded in 1966 on the campus of Duke University in Durham, NC, the Duke Lemur Center is a world leader in the study, care, and protection of lemurs—Earth’s most threatened group of mammals.
With more than 200 animals across 14 species, the DLC houses the world’s most diverse population of lemurs outside their native Madagascar.
To advance science, scholarship, and biological conservation through non-invasive research, community-based conservation, and public outreach and education.
Facebook Feed
Ring-tailed lemur companions Fritz and Narcissa are taking advantage of the break in this rainy week to enjoy some sun worshiping in the forest 🌤
Sun worshiping is just one method lemurs use to thermoregulate, or control their own body temperatures. Exposing their bellies to the sun can help them warm up on a cooler day, and covering their bellies by hugging trees can help them cool down on a hot summer afternoon! You might also see lemurs licking their palms during especially toasty days, as the evaporation of saliva helps these primates cool off 😎
P.S.: wondering why Fritz and Narcissa are wearing collars? Our free-rangers wear radio collars to help our husbandry team track them down if they get lost. Sometimes, only one member of a group needs to wear one, usually the dominant female, but Fritz and Narcissa are known to wander off separately for some alone time 🤗
📸: Sara Nicholson ... See MoreSee Less
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
Fritz and Narcissa are clearly multi-managers of their climate.
Adorable.
A rainy day won't stop our red ruffed lemurs from enjoying their forest enclosure! 🌧
In the wild, red ruffed lemurs (and their black and white cousins) live in the canopies of Madagascar's tropical rainforests. Their fluffy coats act as built-in rain jackets, wicking water off their bodies. Thanks to this neat trick of evolution, Ruby and her family are able to snack on fresh leaves no matter the weather 🍃
📸: Sara Nicholson ... See MoreSee Less
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
They are gorgeous 😍
So cute ♥️
Blue-eyed black lemur female Ranomasina enjoys some tasty redbud leaves 🌿
Ranomasina, whose name means "sea" or "ocean" in Malagasy, was born in 2018. Her parents, Velona and Mangamaso, came to the DLC the year prior from Parc Ivoloina, a nonprofit nature center in Madagascar. They were the first lemurs imported to the US from Madagascar in 24 years! Ranomasina's eyes look white in the light of this photo, but in person they're a lovely pale blue 🩵
📸: David Haring ... See MoreSee Less
6 CommentsComment on Facebook
What a beautiful lady with such a lovely name❤️❤️
I wish my eyes cample to do something like that 💙
I wish my eyes would do that.
View more comments
Happy Mother's Day to the incredible moms of all species 🌻
Because almost all lemur species are female-dominant, mom plays a huge role in the family. Mothers not only take care of their young, but they also establish the social hierarchy and make decisions for their entire troop. We are inspired every day by these phenomenal prosimian matriarchs! 🥰
Here's just a small sample of some of the incredible moms who call the DLC home:
1 - Coquerel's sifaka mom Magdalena and her infant daughter, Pax (📸: David Haring)
2 - Ring-tailed lemur mom Alena and her youngest of three sons, Jasper (📸: Allie Monahan)
3 - Blue-eyed black lemur mom Leigh and her youngest of two sons, McAvoy (📸: Sara Nicholson)
4 - Mongoose lemur mom Maddie and two of her sons, Mico and Ignacio (📸: David Haring)
5 - Ring-tailed lemur mom Sierra Mist with her two newest kids, twins Eowyn and Merry (📸: David Haring)
Tag the mothers in your life to let them know you're thinking about them! ❤️ ... See MoreSee Less
8 CommentsComment on Facebook
Happy ❤️ mother's day to all species
Happy Mother's Day! 💐
Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful lemur moms and staff at DLC!
View more comments
Spring bouquet enrichment with Presley and Brigitta 💐
Keeper Anna-Lisa put together these gorgeous breakfast bouquets for some of our lemurs, including eight-year-old blue-eyed black lemur Presley and thirteen-year-old ring-tailed lemur Brigitta. The bouquets consist of fresh-cut honeysuckle and lespedeza, mixed with the fruits and veggies from the lemurs’ morning diets. This enrichment simulates foraging that animals would do in the wild 😋
🎥: Anna-Lisa K. ... See MoreSee Less
7 CommentsComment on Facebook
I love seeing them discover these treasures! ❤️
So sweet 🥹
How cute.
View more comments
Looking for a fun-filled Saturday afternoon? Check out our Enrichment Wild Workshops! 🤩
Our Enrichment Wild Workshop is all about the most fun part of caring for the incredible lemurs who call the Duke Lemur Center home. You'll learn about why enrichment is so crucial for lemur well-being while you make fun treats and toys for the lemurs. Then, you'll go on a special visit to see our lemur residents (including the elusive aye-ayes!) enjoying your creations 💙
We offer our Wild Workshops most Saturdays from 1:30-3:30pm. Registration is currently open on our website through the end of July! You must be at least 10 years old to attend. To learn more and secure your spot, visit lemur.duke.edu/wildworkshops ✨
📸: David Haring (aye-aye); Bob Karp (ring-tailed lemur) ... See MoreSee Less
7 CommentsComment on Facebook
How wonderfully to get involved in this amazing workshop. Where is the Duke Lemur centre based in USA?
Excellent workshop! Really enjoyed this and seeing the lemurs enjoy what we put together for them (while learning even more about their care).
Wow! The workshops have got to be such a fantastic experience!
View more comments
We celebrated an exciting birthday yesterday: our favorite space telescopes turned one! 🥳🔭
Twin black and white ruffed lemurs Spitzer and Kepler were born one year ago to parents Halley and Bruno. Like older siblings Sunshine, Orbit, and Sputnik, the twins received celestial names—specifically, two of NASA’s space telescopes. To celebrate, Keeper Madison made snacks for the whole family: coconut water and tulip poplar popsicles, topped with honey 😋✨
🎥: Abby Flyer and Alanna Marron ... See MoreSee Less
3 CommentsComment on Facebook
Happy 1st Birthday 🎂 🥳🎉
Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳
Hannah Michael Furchak !!
Sharing some of our absolute favorite free-ranging photos that our volunteer photographers took last week! 📸
1: A red ruffed lemur (either Buzz, Kitt, or Hubble) taste testing an afternoon snack - Aditya Baliga
2: Coquerel's sifaka Gertrude, looking just as gorgeous as her late father, Jovian aka Zoboomafoo - Sara Nicholson
3: Ring-tailed lemur Fritz, who still enjoys long walks in the woods at age 22 - Aditya Baliga
4: Coquerel's sifaka Ferdinand demonstrating his incredible leaping abilities - Sara Nicholson
5: Ring-tailed lemur Narcissa, who's just excited to be outside! - Sara Nicholson
Do you have a favorite lemur action shot? Comment below and show some love to our phenomenal volunteers! 🤩 ... See MoreSee Less
11 CommentsComment on Facebook
Loved seeing these fantastic creatures. Wish everyone could experience the Duke Lemur Center.
Awesome photography!
Fritz looks very determined!
View more comments
Happy #MadagascarMonday! Today, we’re sharing an update from Grayson’s trip to Parc Ivoloina 💚
We raised just over $1.4k in donations from lemur lovers around the globe! In total, members of our community donated 99 items for Grayson to bring to the Parc Ivoloina staff and surrounding community—including this rubber ducky! The black and white ruffed lemurs at Parc Ivoloina are still a little unsure about the new enrichment item 😂
Grayson will be in Madagascar for the next couple of months, so stay tuned for more updates from her trip! To learn more about our in-situ conservation programs, visit lemur.duke.edu/protect ✨ ... See MoreSee Less
8 CommentsComment on Facebook
miss madagascar and miss hearing the ruffs every morning 🥹
Such a special place!
Perhaps they, like me, did not quite understand the "enrichment qualities" of this rubber ducky.
View more comments
Meet our "precious" newest additions! 😍😍
On March 19th, ring-tailed lemur mom Sierra Mist gave birth to twins—the first ring-tailed lemur twins born at the DLC since 2016. The brother and sister, Meriadoc "Merry" and Eowyn, are named after two Lord of the Rings characters who rode together into battle at Minas Tirith. Merry, like his hobbit namesake, has been the smaller of the pair since birth. They now belong to the largest ring-tailed lemur troop at the DLC, along with mom Sierra Mist, dad Licinius, and their older siblings 💙
Want to learn more about our littlest lemurs? Visit lemur.duke.edu/eowyn-merry to read their full birth announcement! ✨
📸: David Haring (1,2,3,5); Becca Newton (4); Abby Flyer (6) ... See MoreSee Less
10 CommentsComment on Facebook
One ring-tail to rule them all!
Wow, they are growing so fast🥰😍
My favorite animal ever
View more comments