Monday, December 15, 2014

Fun Freetime: Lemur Facts from "Madagascar"

DreamWorks Animation and Netflix bring Madagascar's favorite royal lemur King Julien to the small screen in All Hail King Julien on December 19, 2014.  In celebration of his first starring role, King Julien is collaborating with the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, N.C., the world’s foremost expert in lemurs, to teach his fans a little bit about his species. Did you know that lemurs are amazing artists? In anticipation of the premiere, the Duke Lemur Center has shared 13 facts about lemurs like King Julien and his trusty side-kicks Maurice, Clover, and Mort. 

1)      Despite King Julien’s easygoing attitude, life as a lemur isn’t what it seems. They’re the most endangered mammal on the planet, and face possible extinction within 20 years.
2)      There are at least 80 different kinds of lemurs, ranging from aye-aye lemurs like Maurice to mouse lemurs like Mort.
3)      Lemurs are loud … and not just because they’re always partying! Ruffed lemurs have an alarm call that can be heard up to half mile away.
4)      King Julien may think he’s the ruler of his Madagascar colony, but it’s the female lemurs, like Clover, who are actually in charge.
5)      At birth, mouse lemurs like Mort weigh the same amount as three pennies or about 7.5 grams
6)      Lemurs aren’t just experts at moving, rocking, and dancing; they’re also talented artists. In fact, the Duke Lemur Center even sells paintings by lemurs!
7)      Ring-tailed lemurs, like King Julien and his uncle, will have stink fights to attract females and keep other lemurs out of their territories.
8)      Lemur societies are very political, which gives King Julien a lot to do when he’s not too busy admiring himself and throwing parties.
9)      Lemurs come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from a 2-oz. mouse lemur like Mort to a 20-pound indri
10)   Aye-aye lemurs like Maurice can chew through a concrete wall using their constantly growing incisors
11)   Hard partying equals hard crashing, did you know that fat-tailed dwarf lemurs can sleep for up to six months without eating or drinking a thing – it’s called torpor
12)   The Sifaka can leap 30 feet in a single bound – makes for great party hopping!
13)   Lemurs smell in three dimensions in the same way that humans see in 3-D

Fan of the facts? DreamWorksTV, a family-friendly YouTube channel featuring original live-action and animated shorts along with sneak peeks to the latest DreamWorks Animation films and television shows put together a video highlighting some of these crazy cool lemur facts:


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