Nashville Zoo welcomes birth of second ‘critically endangered’ red ruffed lemur

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – The Nashville Zoo is welcoming the birth of its newest red ruffed lemur, a critically endangered species native to Madagascar.

Helios was born on March 27, weighing in at 1/4 pound at birth to second-time parents, Phoebe and Emilio.

The zoo’s primate team reported that mom, Phoebe, and baby, Helios, are doing well and will continue to live behind the scenes until Helios is large enough to move outside.

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Helios is Nashville Zoo’s second successful red ruffed lemur birth, following Penelope who was born in April of 2023. The zoo now has five red ruffed lemurs, including the baby.

In fact, all of the red ruffed lemurs at Nashville Zoo have Greek-inspired names, according to the zoo’s primate supervisor Brittany Canfield.

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“We decided to name our newest addition Helios, god of the sun.” said Canfield. “Red ruffed lemurs are typically born at night, but Helios was born during the day with lots of white markings around his face.”

The species are native to the tropical lowland forests of Madagascar and sport a rusty red coat with black and white accents.

Red ruffed lemurs have a fairly simple diet consisting mainly of fruit, leaves, seeds, and nectars. In the wild, they spend most of their time socializing in the tree tops, producing up to 12 different communication calls.

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According to the zoo, the species are considered critically endangered due to habitat loss.

In addition to breeding efforts, Nashville Zoo also supports Madagascar’s SAVA Conservation Project, which aims to preserve the island’s biodiversity through educating local communities.

To learn more about the zoo’s conservation efforts, click here.

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