About the Duke Lemur Center Portal
Since its establishment in 1966, the Duke Lemur Center (DLC) has been home to generations of lemurs and primates, totaling over 4,000 individuals. We have worked with scientists around the world to conduct an array of research projects spanning diverse fields of study. In particular, the DLC provides opportunity for observational and experimental research under ecologically relevant and controlled settings. Because all DLC research is minimally invasive and non-harmful to the animals, an extensive and curated specimen biobank enables projects that cannot be performed with our living collection.
The DLC has two research themes, occurring on-site and in Madagascar, that are spearheaded by DLC staff scientists: hibernation and the gut microbiome. Other research projects are led by external researchers, including students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty across the globe. We welcome new researchers and new projects.
In addition, the DLC Museum of Natural History houses more than 35,000 fossil, subfossil, and osteological specimens that are available for study.
All of this work has resulted in the creation and maintenance of vast quantities of data, made even more powerful when presented relationally. Our hope is that, by sharing these data on GBIF and encouraging other researchers and institutions to do the same, we will greatly increase the availability and accessibility of lemur-related biodiversity data.
Husbandry practices
The Duke Lemur Center houses nearly 250 lemurs and bush babies across 12 species—the most diverse population of lemurs on Earth, outside their native Madagascar.
Natural Habitat Enclosures
All of our lemurs live in enclosures with indoor/outdoor access. Each group has access to multiple enclosures. For example, a group of four lemurs will have access to four connecting indoor areas with four connecting outdoor yards. Thus they are set up for research trials that require access to any animal singly or any combination of animals from that group as they can be easily temporarily shifted to accommodate the needs of the researchers.
During the warm months of the year (typically mid-April to mid-October), approximately half of our diurnal lemurs also have access to free-range enclosures (called NHEs or “Natural Habitat Enclosures”) ranging in size from 1.6 to 14.3 acres. Most of these enclosures contain multiple species and are ideal for observational studies that focus on more naturalistic behaviors.
Lemur Center Portal data
Since 2025, the DLC has been publishing data to GBIF via VertNet. Most datasets contain speciemen data but we aim to also include checklists, media, and observation data. All datasets are published in the biodiversity information standard Darwin Core, and you can explore, download and use them for free under an open license.
Colony data
Since its establishment in 1966, the DLC has accumulated detailed records for over 4300 individuals from over 40 closely related yet biologically diverse prosimian primate taxa in our care, including ancestry, reproduction, longevity, and body mass. Our institution houses more than 200 individual animals representing 13 species and is home to nocturnal, diurnal, and cathemeral animals, as well as species that encompass a wide range of social systems, modes of locomotion, and dietary preferences. Our colony data also includes a species checklist for all taxa that the DLC has cared for since 1966.
Biobank data
The DLC Research Department maintains a large inventory of biological samples that are available for scientific study by qualified individuals or institutions. Samples such as blood, serum, and urine are banked opportunistically from our living colony during routine physical exams or other veterinary procedures. Tissues are collected from animals that have died of natural causes, and they are preserved in a variety of ways suitable for DNA, RNA, and histopathological analysis. Cadavers are kept frozen and are also available for study.
Fossil, subfossil, and osteological data
The DLC Museum of Natural History (DLCMNH) is the largest, most diverse collection of fossil primates in North America. Through extensive field work in Madagascar, Egypt, Peru, Colombia, and the United States, our collection also contains non-primate lineages, including bats, proboscideans, crocodilians, birds, rodents, carnivorans, sharks, and anthracotheres. In addition to its fossils and subfossils, the museum is responsible for a collection of osteological specimens from the Duke Lemur Center, from vouchered animals that died of natural causes at the DLC.