This month’s instillation of the BWOM is inspired by the recent unveiling of a phenomenal fossil from the Eocene epoch (approximately 55 to 35 million years ago). This period in geological history is notable for the emergence of many modern forms of mammals. The fossil, dubbed Ida by its discoverers, is from the Messel Pit in Germany which has yielded many exceptional fossils. Her scientific name, Darwinius masillae, honors Charles Darwin (one of the founders of modern evolutionary biology) andRead more
Posts tagged: #lemurs
Madagascar animals
Cassandra (a Ringtail Lemur) explores her exhibit I think our six lemurs here at the Museum are pretty good ambassadors of their species. But if watching and learning about them hasn’t been enough to make you want to support habitat conservation in Madagascar, click here for another couple hundred of reasons.Read more
Buildin’ Stuff
If it looks like it’s going to be a fairly normal week (which rarely happens, mind you), then there’s usually time for some unplanned project time. A “fairly normal” week would include: normal staffing (no one out sick, out on vacation, or otherwise unable to perform as usual), no holidays, no hurricanes/tornadoes/snowstorms/torrential downpours, no huge planned projects or deliveries or special cleans requiring a lot of the keepers, no special events at the Museum (such as Birdapalooza or Wild AboutRead more
Creature Feature: Lycus the ring-tailed lemur
Lycus is one of the oldest lemurs we have, and is a favorite among some of the keepers. He was born at the Duke Lemur Center in March of 1985, and came to live at the museum in October of 2005. He lives with two other ring-tailed lemurs, Cassandra and her son Satyrus. It is hard to tell the three apart, so they all have different colored bands on their tracking collars. But Lycus is the easiest to tell apartRead more
EnrichBits: It’s hot!
EnrichBits: A monthly look at animal enrichment As you probably already know by now if you are a regular reader, enrichment is all about giving our captive animals the opporunities to exhibit their natural behaviors. Well, on a 95 degree afternoon, the natural behavior for a lot of our outdoor animals is to find a cool shady spot and sleep. These are afternoons where there is no interest in new scents, none of the animals seem to want to exploreRead more
Munch Cam Fun
Munch Cam is a new feature of the Museum’s web site that focuses on our animals eating. These clips are short, humorous, and informative. Check out some of the Munch Cam clips below and see others on the Munch Cam page of the Museums web site or on the Museum’s YouTube channel. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfbO1ssRCNg] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZljWw7Ltpzo] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBcVLDJvLXI] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On04t6OZorg]Read more