Baby lemur joins Potter Park Zoo troop
LANSING — Fans of the "Madagascar" movie series — and ring-tailed lemurs in general — will be happy to hear Potter Park Zoo has introduced its newest member of the park's troop.
Potter Park Zoo said online that it had welcomed a healthy ring-tailed lemur baby April 28.
"This exciting addition represents the third successful birth of this species at the zoo since 2022," the zoo said in the post. "Our team reports that the baby is actively nursing and can be seen clinging to its mother. The sex of the baby will be determined by our veterinary team in the coming months."
The zoo bred a pair of lemurs, Madi and Han, as part of a recommendation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan, which aims to ensure healthy and genetically diverse zoo populations. Madi and Han, have now produced three offspring, joining Kermit and Gonzo in the zoo's lemur troop.
Ring-tailed lemurs are native to the island of Madagascar, off the east coast of Africa. Known for their distinctive black-and-white banded tails with exactly 13 alternating bands, the primates begin by clinging to their mother’s bellies before transitioning to riding jockey-style on their mothers’ backs after a few weeks.
By one week old, they begin sampling solid food and become increasingly independent over the following month. However, they continue to nurse and sleep with their mother until they are weaned at five or six months of age.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Potter Park Zoo baby lemur introduced
