This beautiful baby lemur was just born at Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay! Busch Gardens just sent us this press release, containing these adorable pictures of their precious new baby!
TAMPA, Fla. (May 17, 2010) – Busch Gardens Tampa Bay welcomed two endangered baby red-ruffed lemurs on April 21. The babies can be viewed by guests in Jambo Junction, where they reside with their mother and father, Maditra and Bozeny.
All species of lemurs are native to the island of Madagascar. Red-ruffed lemurs are one of nearly about 50 lemur species. Busch Gardens is home to five lemur species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers all lemurs endangered. Lemurs are endangered largely due to habitat destruction. Their forests are destroyed for their wood and to grow agricultural crops.
Lemurs play an important role in the ecology of Madagascar as seed dispersers. The seeds can then grow into new plants, which is important since the forests of Madagascar are being destroyed at a very high rate. However, they cannot disperse enough seeds to match the rate of forest destruction.
Lemur’s faces look like tiny tiny bear cub faces.
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