Aye-aye Pod

Description: Over the last few years, Aye-aye Pod co-host Matt Borths has been part of a paleontology team exploring an exciting new fossil site called Topernawi, which is near Lake Turkana in northern Kenya. But, aren’t lemurs from Madagascar? What’s a Lemur Center paleontologist doing in Kenya? In this episode, co-host Megan McGrath turns the interview spotlight on Matt to figure out if he’s landed on the wrong continent. Turns out Topernawi – a fossil site that was only discovered a few years ago – may have ancient apes, monkeys, and lemur fossils from the time just before lemurs rafted across the ocean to Madagascar. Topernawi has fossils of remarkable African creatures like elephant and giant hyraxes. Tune in for the lemurs. Stay for the giant hyraxes. Matt and Megan also discuss baby season at the Duke Lemur Center, other famous fossils from Kenya, and the weird objects Megan needs to find to tell the story of lemur reproduction. Click here for a full transcript of this episode. Click here for a blog post about Matt’s time at Topernawi. Click here for the research paper on the skeleton of Homo habilis. Click here for news coverage of the skeleton of Homo habilis. Click here for Wikipedia’s rundown of Lake Turkana fun facts. Click here for images of Turkana from Matt’s time teaching a field course there. The post A Busy Time in Primate Evolution: Spring 2026 first appeared on Duke Lemur Center.

Aye-aye Pod is back! In this episode, we cover what’s kept us away, what you can expect in future episodes, and what happens at the Duke Lemur Center as we transition into cooler weather. Tune in with your hosts Megan and Matt for a behind-the-scenes discussion of what it takes to free-range lemurs to leap, snack, and snooze in large forest habitats, a gross-but-cool (grool?) ring-tailed lemur fact, and an exciting paleontology development closer to the human side of our primate family tree! Click HERE for a transcript of this episode. For more information on all things Duke Lemur Center visit our website. The post Rules for Free-ranging: Fall 2025 first appeared on Duke Lemur Center.

The fossil record of Madagascar is incredible. There are unicorn-horned meat-eating dinosaurs, colossal flightless birds, and lemurs the size of gorillas. Dr. Noromamy Rahanaharivao is a paleontologist in Madagascar who is excavating her country’s past biodiversity. She’s done research on monkey-like Archaeolemur and has searched flooded caves of Tsimanampetsotsa National Park for the remains of Pachylemur, a giant relative of ruffed lemurs. Join Dr. Rahanaharivao as she tells us about her first fossil discoveries and why we think these incredible creatures went extinct in the last couple of centuries. Dr. Rahanaharivao’s research publications – CLICK HERE Research paper by Dr. Rahanaharivao and colleagues on the fossil record at Tsimanampetsotsa National Park – CLICK HERE Video from PBS Eons on the giant lemurs of Madagascar – CLICK HERE The post S4E6 Writing the History of My Country: Finding Extinct Lemurs first appeared on Duke Lemur Center.

So how smart are lemurs, exactly? How do we even start to figure that out? Meet Ray Vagell, researcher and graduate student from Texas State University who uses SMARTA (a custom-designed touch screen system) to study how lemurs solve problems at the Duke Lemur Center. We also discuss the fun – but mysterious – fact that only female ruffed lemurs have color vision. Ray also uses SMARTA to study ruffed lemur vision, and how his research has become enrichment for some ruffed lemurs who love pushing playing with the device. Sometimes they even find ways to cheat the system! Ray’s research website – CLICK HERE Ruffed lemurs using SMARTA (video) – CLICK HERE Ray’s published work on the SMARTA system (article) – CLICK HERE The post S4E4 How We Problem Solve: Ruffed Lemur Cognition first appeared on Duke Lemur Center.

This week, we’re chatting with one of our wonderful colleagues Madison Armand about her role as a primate technician (our version of a zookeeper here at the Duke Lemur Center). Madison shares what it takes to be a fantastic primate technician, why she particularly enjoys working with ruffed lemurs, and how the DLC animal care team stays up-to-date on the science of animal welfare to provide our lemurs with the best possible lives. Virtual Tour Episode 3: Housing at the DLC (video) – CLICK HERE A Day in the Life of a Lemur Keeper (video) – CLICK HERE Species survival plan discussion (previous podcast episode) – CLICK HERE Transcript of this episode: CLICK HERE The post S4E2 I Follow the Lemurs: Ruffed Lemur Husbandry first appeared on Duke Lemur Center.

We are wrapping up our sifaka season with Malagasy scientist and conservationist, Mamy Razafitsalama. Mamy’s work in and around Ankarafantsika National Park, which serves as critical habitat for Coquerel’s sifakas in the wild, recently earned him the 2023 Whitley Award for conservation. We were so honored to hear about Mamy’s work studying sifakas in the wild and leading community-based conservation to protect the habitat Coquerel’s sifakas call home. Links to learn more: Watch Sir David Attenborough presenting Mamy as the 2023 Whitley Award Winner Planet Madagascar Live from Madagascar with Planet Madagascar The post S3E7 – Keep Doing the Hard Work first appeared on Duke Lemur Center.

Why don’t you see sifakas in most zoos across the US? How do we plan which sifaka have babies, and where those babies will live? DLC Animal Curator Britt Keith not only manages the sifakas living at the DLC, but also collaborates to manage captive Coquerel’s sifakas on an international scale, and she’s here to answer all of our sifaka population management questions. Links to Learn More: Read a DLC Staff Spotlight on Britt Watch Britt in the sifaka transport feature “To Europe, Two by Two” Read about Britt in this feature on women in leadership Read about Britt in the DLC annual magazine   The post S3E5 – Thinking Long-term first appeared on Duke Lemur Center.

Ever wondered what a lemur that is adapted to conditions across the world in Madagascar eats in the forests of North Carolina? Dr. Lydia Greene wondered that very same thing, and in this interview, she shares new information, anecdotes, and insights she gained over years of studying Coquerel’s sifaka foraging habits at the Duke Lemur Center. Links to learn more: Follow Lydia on Instagram Read Lydia’s paper on sifaka foraging at the DLC Watch Lydia’s virtual presentation on the folivorous sifaka See all of Lydia’s publications   The post S3E3 – The Magic Hour first appeared on Duke Lemur Center.

Welcome to season three of Aye-aye Pod. We’re finally getting to the lemur that everyone falls in love with when they visit the Duke Lemur Center: sifakas! We’ll introduce you to these bouncy leaf-munchers who had a starring role in Zoboomafoo. We’ll also dig into their amazing diversity in Madagascar and explore the northwestern forests that Coquerel’s sifakas call home. Links to learn more: Coquerel’s sifaka basics DLC Coquerel’s sifaka introduction Coquerel’s sifaka on the move Baby sifaka tries leaves The rhythm of Indri song   The post S3E1 – The Dancing Lemur first appeared on Duke Lemur Center.

If you’ve read Allison Jolly’s quintessential book Lords and Lemurs, or perhaps you’ve watched the Island of the Lemurs IMAX film, then you already know this week’s guest. Matt and Megan had the privilege of interviewing Professor Hantanirina Rasamimanana, or Hanta, as she prefers to be called. In addition to decades of studying ring-tailed lemurs in their natural habitat, Hanta has also been an incredible advocate for education and opportunities for Malagasy students, and we are honored to share a little bit about her work with you. Links to learn more: Hanta’s work at Berenty Reserve Hanta’s research publications Ring-tailed lemurs hunting cicadas in Berenty Reserve (video) The post S2E4 – What We Have to Do first appeared on Duke Lemur Center.

In this episode, Matt and Megan chat with professional researcher, and long-time friend and collaborator of the DLC, Sally Bornbusch, Ph.D. Sally takes us into the fascinating world of microbiomes, and how studying the microorganisms living inside of our beloved ring-tailed lemurs can help us better care for and protect endangered species like them. Links to learn more about topics from this episode: Sally’s current work and recent research “Microbes Matter” article by Sally “Gut Bugs and Poop Soup” – virtual presentation by Sally “Poop Soup” – article on fecal transplant treatment at the DLC The post S2E2 – Poop Science first appeared on Duke Lemur Center.

And… we’re back! Matt and Megan just couldn’t resist diving back in for one more discussion about our favorite primates, so we thought we’d give you a surprise final episode of our first season – just in time for the holidays! We cover everything from the aye-aye’s recent press for a gross hidden talent, to the surprising creature that shares some of the aye-ayes unique traits, to what the fossil record can (and can’t) tell us about aye-aye evolution. Links to learn more: Aye-aye nose-picking in the news The Epic Journey of Ancient Lemurs (recorded virtual presentation) Propotto and Dr. Gregg Gunnell in the news Virtual Tour videos – Episode 2: “What Is a Lemur?” and “Episode 13: Aye-ayes” The post S1E5 – A Series of Random Accidents first appeared on Duke Lemur Center.

Matt and Megan join two veterinary researchers in Madagascar for a long-distance discussion of aye-ayes at home. Dr. Hoby A. Rasoanaivo, research coordinator for Lemur Love, and Dr. Elodi Rambeloson, research project manager at the Anjajavy reserve, discuss their project to move wild aye-ayes from one forest to another, keeping them safe from the effects of deforestation and climate change. Hoby and Elodi also talk about how the mysterious nocturnal primate earned a dark reputation and how they educate communities in Madagascar about aye-ayes to help this endangered primate survive. Links to learn more about topics from this episode: Dr. Hoby A. Rasoanaivo’s research Dr. Elodi Rambeloson’s research Where is Anjajavy in Madagascar? Research paper on aye-aye translocation DLC Research in Anjajavy with Hoby and Elodi The post S1E4 – Beautifully Strange first appeared on Duke Lemur Center.