There are many new, tiny faces at the Duke Lemur Center. Let’s start with an out of this world arrival of two new critically endangered red ruffed lemurs.
Their names are Hubble and Kitt. Yes, they are named after telescopes. That’s in keeping with the space-themed names given to all ruffed lemurs born at the center.
The male, Hubble and female Kitt are the first infants of parents Ruby and Buzz.
Lemur center staff say while Hubble and Kitt may be Ruby’s first offspring, the protective mom is doing a great job! She spent the first few days of motherhood resting near the infants and preferred her food delivered directly to her perch, instead of into the bowl a few feet away. Ruby has also allowed Buzz to groom the infants.
Instead of carrying infants like other lemur species, ruffed lemur moms will build rudimentary nests and park their litter of infants in one place.
Ruby’s keepers provided pieces of fleece, cardboard, leaves, and sticks as she approached her due date to encourage this behavior. Her simple nest provided a safe home for the first weeks of the twin’s lives.
Hubble and Kitt have left their nest and now spend their days climbing around their enclosure. When they are big enough, they will free-range in a forested habitat with their parents.
The Duke Lemur Center is also welcoming two ring-tailed lemurs, Mr. Popper and Gatsby. Ring-tailed lemurs at the DLC are named after literary characters! Mr. Popper was named after the titular character in the beloved children’s book, Mr. Popper’s Penguins.
Mr. Popper is the second offspring of parents Alena and Stewart. While Mr. Popper spends most of his time on Alena’s back, he is beginning to explore on his own and with his big brother Atticus.
Gatsby, named after the iconic character in The Great Gatsby, is the second offspring of parents Sierra Mist and Licinius. Lemurs are female dominant, so Sierra Mist has been closely controlling how much time big brother Scout spends with his little sister Gatsby. Infant lemurs spend their time clinging to mom, but this bold little one occasionally spends time climbing all over.