On February 17, 2017, a new addition came into the world in a small town called Emporia. Violet is the latest Ring-Tailed Lemur at our Zoo in Emporia, Ks. With her amber-brown eyes, little baby Violet will steal your heart.

Doting parents, Nova and Oscar are doing a great job nurturing their newest baby lemur. Her two older sisters, Rose and Lilly certainly love her too.

Lemurs live in groups called Conspiracies. In the wild, female lemurs born into their Conspiracy will stay with that Conspiracy. Meanwhile, the male lemurs will set off to join a new Conspiracy when they are at the age of 3-5. Male lemurs surprisingly are submissive to female lemurs. They are subservient with or without suggestions of female aggression.

Lemurs rely heavily on their sense of smell. They are highly tuned in to their conspiracies smell. With their wide nostrils, Lemurs are able to smell a predator’s (such as Fossa, Madagascar Harrier-hawks, Madagascar buzzards, Madagascar ground boas, civets, and domestic cats and dogs) scent from long distances. This is very useful because lemurs are naturally slow. Lemurs can’t see well, which means they discern what fruit to eat by its smell. Studies have shown that Lemurs can only see in black and white.

Ring-Tailed Lemurs, such as Violet are diurnal. Which means that they are active during the day and inactive during the night.

Lemurs flourish with high social elements and their families’ bond. According to Lemur World, “The combination of their senses including smell, sight, and hearing are also primary forms of communication for the Lemur” (Lemur World), which explains why Lemurs are very social.  

Next time you’re in Emporia come see Violet, her conspiracy, and all the other amazing animals at our zoo!