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Spring is on its way to North America and researchers are quietly happy. Little dwarf lemurs are waking up after several months in hibernation. This is the first time that these hairy animals with fat tails have gone into a long hibernation in confinement.
A new study, which revived seasonal conditions to entice caged dwarf lemurs into hibernation just like the way their wild kin do in the western part of Madagascar, propose that these lemurs can go back to their wild sleeping ways after years of training in captive care.
A primate biologist, Erin Ehmke from the Duke Lemur Center where the study was done said that they have been able to replicate their wild conditions very well in order to get them to reproduce their natural pattern of hibernation.
Fat-tailed dwarf lemurs, the only primate known to hibernate, are waking up after entering this state for the first time in captivity.
This year, the fat-tailed dwarf lemur has gone into true hibernation at the Duke Lemur Center in North Carolina, US - and the findings could be important for humans too.
Hibernation is a fundamental part of many species’ lives, but it rarely happens when animals aren’t in the wild.
Normally, captive dwarf lemurs are fed extra over the summer period to help them bulk out, as they normally would in the wild, to allow them to go into a suspended state of torpor (low heart-rate and body temperature).
Adorable Snoozing Lemurs Are Teaching Scientists The Secrets of Hibernation sciencealert.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sciencealert.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Why Scientists Are Excited An Unusual Creature Is Coming Out of Winter Hibernation in Captivity
Duke Lemur Center recreates the seasonal swings of native habitat, helping to unlock the secrets of hibernation.
The fat-tailed dwarf lemur is our closest hibernating relative. Researchers at the Duke Lemur Center have been changing up their care to more closely match the seasonal fluctuations they experience in the wild.
Photo by David Haring. If you binged on high-calorie snacks and then spent the winter crashed on the couch in a months-long food coma, you’d likely wake up worse for wear. Unless you happen to be a fat-tailed dwarf lemur.