Detroit Zoo Needs Your Help in Naming These Two Lemurs

By Patricia Janeway

Royal Oak, MI - The Detroit Zoo is inviting the community to name its newest twin kin, male and female black-and-white ruffed lemurs born June 2.

“Because black-and-white ruffed lemurs are native to Madagascar, we encourage people to consider their Malagasy origins when suggesting names,” said Director of Conservation and Animal Welfare Scott Carter.

Name suggestions for the lemur twins must be submitted before midnight September 2, 2009, by visiting www.detroitzoo.org and clicking on the lemur banner at the bottom of the home page. Five male and five female names will be selected by Detroit Zoo staff and posted on the Zoo’s web site for a public vote, and the two winning monikers will be announced in late September.

The black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata), a tree-dwelling primate native to eastern Madagascar, is the largest of all lemur species. It has long, soft fur with a thick white mane around the ears and neck. A mature ruffed lemur can weigh 8-10 pounds and reach 4 feet in length, including a 2-foot tail which it uses for balance.

The Detroit Zoo’s baby lemurs can be seen with parents Fleur and Goodall in their outdoor habitat between the snow monkeys and white rhinos.

The Detroit Zoological Society is a non-profit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo. Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic exhibits, the Detroit Zoo is located at the intersection of Ten Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, just off I-696, in Royal Oak. The Detroit Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October (open at 9 a.m. May 1 through Labor Day) – with extended hours until 8 p.m. Wednesdays during July and August – and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March. Admission is $11 for adults 15 to 61, $9 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $7 for children ages 2 to 14; children under 2 are free. For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit www.detroitzoo.org. The Belle Isle Nature Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round and provides educational programming with interpretive staff support from the Huron-Clinton Metroparks. Admission is free. For more information, call (313) 852-4056.

To view Detroit Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to:  http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-472-Detroit_Zoo