Tiny creature welcomed ‘toxic’ twins. Then came two more sets of twins, NC center says
A North Carolina research center is in for double the fun — three times over.
Three sets of twin gray mouse lemurs made their debut at the Duke Lemur Center this summer, officials announced in a Facebook post Tuesday, Sept. 10.
The nocturnal primates only grow about three inches tall, making them the smallest lemur species in the colony at the research center in Durham.
“Twins, twins, twins!” the center said in a post celebrating the lemurs’ births. “We have SIX new tiny residents to announce. So many teeny residents to add to our colony.”
Twins Rhubarb and Taro were born July 14 to 1-year-old Belladonna, officials said in a news release. The first-time mom was part of a set of mouse lemur triplets born last summer. Each was named after a toxic plant, earning them the nickname the “toxic trio,” according to the center.
Their caretaker, Kathryn French, said she wanted to keep up the theme.
“I wanted to name (the twins) after edible plants because of Belladonna’s tendency to nest them in her food bowls, but I also stuck with Belladonna’s toxic theme,” French said in the release. “Rhubarb has toxic leaves but an edible stem, and taro is toxic unless cooked correctly.”
Researchers said its not uncommon for mouse lemurs to have multiples . They usually give birth to twins once per year and the gestation period is between 59 and 62 days, according to the center.
Before them, Lychee and Rambutan were born. Mom Mushmelon gave birth to the son and daughter on June 23, the lemur center said. Like their mother, the twins were both named after fruits.
The latest twins, Beautyberry and Tea Olive, made their debut Aug. 8, rounding out baby season at the center.
“Beautyberry shares her name with a flowering shrub that sports gorgeous magenta berries in the fall, while Tea Olive is named after a flowering tree that has been compared in fragrance to jasmine and gardenia,” according to officials.
Their mother, Merriweather, is no stranger to multiples and gave birth to a set of triplets in 2021, researchers said. One of her twins weighed 8.1 grams — “or about the weight of a wedding ring” at just 3-days old.
“Congrats to all of our lemur moms on a successful baby season!” the center wrote.
This story was originally published September 11, 2024 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Tiny creature welcomed ‘toxic’ twins. Then came two more sets of twins, NC center says."