Life in the Fast Lane

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Bilbo — a rare baby bamboo lemur — has stolen the hearts of Swedes after being rejected by his mother when he was born 11 weeks ago, weighing a mere 4.6 ounces (30 grams) at the time of these photos. He’s believed to be 1 of only 25 of his species in captivity — 2 of whom are his mother and father.

Photo AFP / Getty

Bilbo’s chances of survival are now 99%. “But,” say Jonas Wahlstrom, a manager of Stockholm’s Skansen zoo, “it was touch and go at the beginning as handlers fed Bilbo a mixture of cat and baby milk via a syringe.”

Photo AFP / Getty

“It was very risky, very dramatic, because he was so small and we did not know how many times he had been dropped from the tree when he was rejected by his parents.” said Wahlstrom.

The tiny lemur is too small and fragile for display but can been seen as he rides around the zoo nestled in the hair of his handler Vera Lindberg as she carries out her daily duties.

Photo AFP / Getty

”Everyday Bilbo is getting cuter.” adds Wahlstrom.

”We are trying slowly to introduce him to his parents. We have to be careful as lemurs can be quite aggressive and there could be a fatal outcome.

”He has to be in touch with his parents and grow up with them but they will never regard him as offspring, at best as a distant cousin.”

Adult bamboo lemurs grow to between 1.5 (681 grams) to 2.2 pounds (1 kilo) and live for up to 22 years. There are only about 200 living in the wild on their native island of Madagascar.

Rare Baby Lemur Reared at U.K Zoo
Then we have Raz — a 2 month old rare lemur — who looks like a cross between a mouse and bat. He’s only the 2nd of his species born in Britain, being hand-reared at Bristol’s Zoo. The teeny lemur still fits in the palm of a hand, but will grow to be the world’s largest nocturnal primate.

Raz the Baby Lemur

ZSL London Zoo’s baby Alaotran Gentle Lemurs
These primates are from Madagascar and are critically endangered as their habitat is being burnt off to provide space for the increasing demand for rice cultivation.

Cute and Cheeky Baby Lemurs ZLS Zoo

About Lemurs
The term “lemur” comes from the Latin word lemures, meaning “spirits of the night,” or “ghost,” likely refering to the large, reflective eyes which many of the nocturnal lemur species possess.

Lemurs are found naturally only on the island of Madagascar and some smaller surrounding islands, including the Comoros — where they were likely introduced by humans.

They range in size from 1 ounce (28.4 grams) for the Pygmy Mouse Lemur to the 22 pound (10 kilos) Indri. The larger species, some of which weighed up to 110 pounds (240 kilos), have all become extinct since people settled on Madagascar.

The smaller lemurs are generally nocturnal, while the larger ones are typically active during the day.

Lemurs have opposable thumbs and long grasping toes, with nails rather than claws. Their tails are not prehensile — able to take hold of things, especially by wrapping around them — as those of monkeys. All lemur species have a tapetum, the reflective layer over the retina, and are believed to have limited color vision. Lemurs depend heavily on the sense of smell, have large nasal cavities and moist noses.

Unlike most other primates, lemur species that live in groups have a Matriarchal society — female dominance over males.

Most lemur species primarily live in trees, traversing the canopy by leaping and clinging, with the exception of the Ring-Tailed Lemur which spends a significant amount of time on the ground.

The black lemur is one of 28 species of lemurs, getting its name from a male coloration, which is black, while females are brown. The differentiation in the colors between males and females is unique for lemurs.

Photo Mila Zinkova

All lemurs are endangered or threatened species. Many became extinct in the last centuries, mainly due to habitat destruction, deforestation, and hunting. Although conservation efforts are under way, options are limited because of the lemurs’ limited range and Madagascar’s economic situation. There are 85 living lemur species accounted for in current publications.

Lemurs Like to Move It, Move It

Lemurs Getting High

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