Aye-aye Pod

Dr. Andrea Baden and her team have spent a lot of time in the rainforests of eastern Madagascar learning about the social lives of ruffed lemurs. In this episode, she shares why it takes a village to run a ruffed lemur kindergarten, how art photography led to her career in primatology, and how ruffed lemurs adapted to climate change. Socially, ruffed lemurs are one of the weirdest lemurs out there, and Dr. Baden is the perfect person to explain the method to their social madness.  

Dr. Baden’s Lab Homepage – CLICK HERE

Dr. Baden’s research paper on nesting ruffed lemurs – CLICK HERE

Dr. Baden’s research paper on fission-fusion social dynamics in ruffed lemurs – CLICK HERE

This week, we’re chatting with one of our wonderful colleagues Madison Armand about her role as a primate technician (our version of a zookeeper here at the Duke Lemur Center). Madison shares what it takes to be a fantastic primate technician, why she particularly enjoys working with ruffed lemurs, and how the DLC animal care team stays up-to-date on the science of animal welfare to provide our lemurs with the best possible lives. 

Virtual Tour Episode 3: Housing at the DLC (video) – CLICK HERE

A Day in the Life of a Lemur Keeper (video) – CLICK HERE

Species survival plan discussion (previous podcast episode) – CLICK HERE

This season we’re leaping into the world of ruffed lemurs – beautiful lemurs with big personalities. In this episode, we discuss the basics of the two species in the Varecia genus – black and white ruffed lemurs and red ruffed lemurs. This is our longest season yet, full of fascinating interviews with ruffed lemur caretakers, researchers, and conservationists, so be sure to subscribe and catch every episode! 

Black and white ruffed lemur fact sheet (webpage) – CLICK HERE

Red ruffed lemur fact sheet (webpage) – CLICK HERE

Virtual Tour Episode 6: Ruffed Lemurs (video) – CLICK HERE

Transcript of this episode – CLICK HERE

We are wrapping up our sifaka season with Malagasy scientist and conservationist, Mamy Razafitsalama. Mamy’s work in and around Ankarafantsika National Park, which serves as critical habitat for Coquerel’s sifakas in the wild, recently earned him the 2023 Whitley Award for conservation. We were so honored to hear about Mamy’s work studying sifakas in the wild and leading community-based conservation to protect the habitat Coquerel’s sifakas call home. 

Links to learn more: 

Sifakas are beautifully adapted to their environment. Dr. Elaine Guevara studies the source of these adaptations in the genetic code of sifakas (and other primates). Elaine shares how she traveled a complex path to get to Duke University and primate evolution – including a stop by the bug department. Now she’s a lecturer in Evolutionary Anthropology, a researcher at the Duke Lemur Center, and a molecular primatologist! 

Links to learn more: 

Why don’t you see sifakas in most zoos across the US? How do we plan which sifaka have babies, and where those babies will live? DLC Animal Curator Britt Keith not only manages the sifakas living at the DLC, but also collaborates to manage captive Coquerel’s sifakas on an international scale, and she’s here to answer all of our sifaka population management questions. 

Links to Learn More:

Lemurs can really move. Like jumping-dozens-of-feet-from-tree-to-tree move. Like Tigger on a trampoline move. Dr. Gabe Yapuncich is a researcher at Duke University who is fascinated by this feat of lemur feet. He’s studied lemur bones and watched living lemurs launch off force plates at the Duke Lemur Center to understand how lemurs leap and hold themselves up in a tree, all to sort out the origins of these adaptations in our oldest primate relatives.  

Links to learn more: 

Ever wondered what a lemur that is adapted to conditions across the world in Madagascar eats in the forests of North Carolina? Dr. Lydia Greene wondered that very same thing, and in this interview, she shares new information, anecdotes, and insights she gained over years of studying Coquerel’s sifaka foraging habits at the Duke Lemur Center.  

Links to learn more: 

Who better to open this season’s interviews than someone who has spent over a decade caring for Coquerel’s sifakas? Melanie Currie has been a primate technician (AKA animal keeper) at the Duke Lemur Center for 13 years, and we’re so excited to share her insights on these amazing animals with you. 

Links to learn more: 

Welcome to season three of Aye-aye Pod. We’re finally getting to the lemur that everyone falls in love with when they visit the Duke Lemur Center: sifakas! We’ll introduce you to these bouncy leaf-munchers who had a starring role in Zoboomafoo. We’ll also dig into their amazing diversity in Madagascar and explore the northwestern forests that Coquerel’s sifakas call home.  

Links to learn more: