Since its establishment in 1966, the Duke Lemur Center (DLC) has accumulated detailed records for nearly 4,200 individuals from over 40 strepsirrhine primate taxa—the lemurs, lorises, and galagos. Here we present verified data for 3,627 individuals of 27 taxa in the form of a life history table containing summarized species values for variables relating to ancestry, reproduction, longevity, and body mass, as well as the two raw data files containing direct and calculated variables from which this summary table is built. Large sample sizes, longitudinal data that in many cases span an animal’s entire life, exact dates of events, and large numbers of individuals from closely related yet biologically diverse primate taxa make these datasets unique. This single source for verified raw data and systematically compiled species values, particularly in combination with the availability of associated biological samples and the current live colony for research, will support future studies from an enormous spectrum of disciplines.

The origin and evolution of manual grasping remain poorly understood. The ability to cling requires important grasping abilities and is essential to survive in species where the young are carried in the fur. A previous study has suggested that this behaviour could be a pre-adaptation for the evolution of fine manipulative skills. In this study we tested the co-evolution between infant carrying in the fur and manual grasping abilities in the context of food manipulation. As strepsirrhines vary in the way infants are carried (mouth vs. fur), they are an excellent model to test this hypothesis. Data on food manipulation behaviour were collected for 21 species of strepsirrhines. Our results show that fur-carrying species exhibited significantly more frequent manual grasping of food items. This study clearly illustrates the potential novel insights that a behaviour (infant carrying) that has previously been largely ignored in the discussion of the evolution of primate manipulation can bring.

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An infant female tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) weighing 20 g at birth was removed for hand-raising at 1 day of age. The infant was maintained in an incubator (32"C, 80% humidity), and fed every 2-3 hours for the first 10 days of life. The infant received a vaned formula for the first 4 days. Esbilac (3.3-8.0 cc daily) was given for days 5-10. From days 11 to 67 the infant was fed 6.5-8.0 cc of formula seven times daily. A liver fortified formula was introduced on day 53. Birthweight doubled by day 41 and tripled by day 101. The animals first successful jump was observed at day 25. On day 68 she captured and ate her first live prey. Introduction to adult tarsiers began on day 60. This is the first successful hand-raising of any species of tarsier, which is a genus that reproduces poorly in captivity.

The husbandry practices of the 3 institutions currently holding captive aye-ayes outside Madagascar (Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust, Duke University Primate Center and Paris Zoo) are reviewed. Information on housing, diet, oestrous cycles and infant rearing is included. Aye-ayes are active, nocturnal animals that are mainly solitary in the wild. They need large cages that are well furnished with arboreal substrates. Captive diet consists of fruit, nuts, insects and a pellet- or cereal-based gruel. Breeding of aye-ayes occurs either within stable pairs of animals or in pairs that are mixed only during the peri-ovulatory period.