On March 28, 2008 Busch Gardens Tampa Bay welcomed the birth of their first mongoose lemur.  The healthy infant immediately connected with its mother and began nursing.  Mongoose lemur infants nurse until about 6 months of age, at which time they fully transition to a solid food diet of fruit, leaves, flowers, and nectar. As an adult, around three and a half years of age, the infant will weigh about 2 kg (4.5 lb.). 

Due to the difficulty with gender identification within the first several months, the baby’s name has not yet been determined.  All mongoose lemur infants are born with female coloration and stay that way for several months.  As sexually dichromatic animals, adult coloration varies by gender.  Both males and females are overall grey-brown in color, but adult males have reddish cheeks whereas females have white cheeks.  Additionally, males may have a bald spot on top of their heads due to the rubbing involved with scent marking their territories.   

The infant’s parents are 13 year old Rosalita and 14 year old Guillermo, who arrived at the park in November 2007 from Duke Lemur Center, as part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP).  Currently mongoose lemurs are classified as vulnerable/declining by the World Conservation Union (IUCN).  Their dry forest homes in Madagascar are prone to slash and burn cultivation methods for agricultural development and charcoal production.  Additionally, lemur populations are in decline from unsustainable hunting and over-collection for the pet trade.  With so many limiting factors affecting their populations, every birth contributes to their diversity and conservation.  Busch Gardens’ infant brings the mongoose lemur population to 59 individuals in North America. 

Currently, our mongoose lemur family can be seen in the Curiosity Caverns, located in the Nairobi section of the park.  Unlike many lemurs, mongoose lemur family units are generally small, consisting of an adult pair and immature offspring.  Mongoose lemurs are further differentiated from many other lemur species by their cathemeral activity patterns, meaning they are active at different times of the day, depending on the season.  We are very pleased to have this mongoose lemur family  in our collection and provide support to their global populations.