Aye-aye Pod

Duke Lemur Center
  • 5.0 (8)
  • NATURAL SCIENCES
Aye-aye Pod

The official podcast of the Duke Lemur Center. Your hosts, Education Programs Manager Megan McGrath and DLC Museum of Natural History Curator Matt Borths, Ph.D., are venturing into all things lemur: science, research, conservation, husbandry, Madagascar, and so much more! Each mini-season will be focused on a particular subject, and each episode will include discussions and interviews with experts to learn as much as we can about these amazing primates together.

  1. OCT 16

    S4E7 You Have to Work with People: A Lemur Reintroduction Story

    With nearly 40 years of experience working in Madagascar conservation (15 of which were spent living in Madagascar), Charlie Welch has an incredible wealth of wisdom to share. In this episode, we learn about the origins of the Duke Lemur Center’s conservation work in Madagascar. Then, we dive into the incredible story of 13 black and white ruffed lemurs that were released back into the wild between 1998-2001. You won’t want to miss this incredible slice of Duke Lemur Center history!  DLC Madagascar Conservation Programs Overview – CLICK HERE John Cleese collaboration for World Lemur Day (video) – CLICK HERE John Cleese’s favorite project (article) – CLICK HERE Into the Wild – Operation Lemur (information on a John Cleese documentary the discusses this same story) – CLICK HERE The post S4E7 You Have to Work with People: A Lemur Reintroduction Story first appeared on Duke Lemur Center.

    31 min

  2. OCT 9

    S4E6 Writing the History of My Country: Finding Extinct Lemurs

    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.

    15 min

  3. OCT 2

    S4E5 Tromping Around in Madagascar: Seed Dispersal and Lemurs

    Forests are complicated places, and the species inhabiting forests are dependent on each other in a complex network that we call ecology. Camille Desisto is an ecologist and graduate student at Duke University, and she studies the interactions between plants and lemurs in Madagascar and at the Duke Lemur Center. Specifically, Camille looks at the lemur role of seed disperser—eating fruit and leaving behind seeds throughout the forest. Camille is interested in the mechanics of seed dispersal and how changes in lemur populations can impact the whole forest community. Learn how she works with conservation organizations, especially the DLC-SAVA Conservation program, to connect her research to conservation practices and policy.   Camille Desisto’s research website – CLICK HERE One of Camille’s research studies on lemur-plant ecology in Madagascar – CLICK HERE Camille in the field with her collaborators (video) – CLICK HERE The post S4E5 Tromping Around in Madagascar: Seed Dispersal and Lemurs first appeared on Duke Lemur Center.

    18 min

  4. SEP 24

    S4E4 How We Problem Solve: Ruffed Lemur Cognition

    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.

    23 min

  5. SEP 18

    S4E3 Lemur Kindergarten: Social Dynamics in Ruffed Lemurs

    Dr. Andrea Baden and her team have spent a lot of time in the rainforests of eastern Madagascar learning about the social lives of ruffed lemurs. In this episode, she shares why it takes a village to run a ruffed lemur kindergarten, how art photography led to her career in primatology, and how ruffed lemurs adapted to climate change. Socially, ruffed lemurs are one of the weirdest lemurs out there, and Dr. Baden is the perfect person to explain the method to their social madness.   Dr. Baden’s Lab Homepage – CLICK HERE Dr. Baden’s research paper on nesting ruffed lemurs – CLICK HERE Dr. Baden’s research paper on fission-fusion social dynamics in ruffed lemurs – CLICK HERE The post S4E3 Lemur Kindergarten: Social Dynamics in Ruffed Lemurs first appeared on Duke Lemur Center.

    23 min

  6. SEP 11

    S4E2 I Follow the Lemurs: Ruffed Lemur Husbandry

    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.

    16 min

  7. SEP 3

    S4E1 Beautiful Beards: Meet the Ruffed Lemurs

    This season we’re leaping into the world of ruffed lemurs – beautiful lemurs with big personalities. In this episode, we discuss the basics of the two species in the Varecia genus – black and white ruffed lemurs and red ruffed lemurs. This is our longest season yet, full of fascinating interviews with ruffed lemur caretakers, researchers, and conservationists, so be sure to subscribe and catch every episode!  Black and white ruffed lemur fact sheet (webpage) – CLICK HERE Red ruffed lemur fact sheet (webpage) – CLICK HERE Virtual Tour Episode 6: Ruffed Lemurs (video) – CLICK HERE Transcript of this episode – CLICK HERE The post S4E1 Beautiful Beards: Meet the Ruffed Lemurs first appeared on Duke Lemur Center.

    29 min

  8. 11/07/2023

    S3E7 – Keep Doing the Hard Work

    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.

    14 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

The official podcast of the Duke Lemur Center. Your hosts, Education Programs Manager Megan McGrath and DLC Museum of Natural History Curator Matt Borths, Ph.D., are venturing into all things lemur: science, research, conservation, husbandry, Madagascar, and so much more! Each mini-season will be focused on a particular subject, and each episode will include discussions and interviews with experts to learn as much as we can about these amazing primates together.

Information

  • Creator
    Duke Lemur Center
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2024
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2022 Duke Lemur Center
  • Show Website
    Aye-aye Pod

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