Ideas, Inventions And Innovations
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.
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IMAGE: Researchers at the Duke Lemur Center have been changing up their care to more closely match the seasonal fluctuations they experience in the wild. view more
Credit: Photo by David Haring, Duke Lemur Center
DURHAM, N.C. 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.
This squirrel-sized primate lives in the forests of Madagascar, where it spends up to seven months each year mostly motionless and chilling, using the minimum energy necessary to withstand the winter. While zonked, it lives off of fat stored in its tail.