Six fascinating things you didn't know about the lemurs at Reid Park Zoo
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Junior, 8, and Tally, 3, are black and white ruffed lemurs. They have been with Reid Park Zoo since 2015.
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Most days, especially when it is cold outside, you can find Junior and Tally splayed out on their backs, taking in the sun, a common activity says Reid Park zookeeper Alec Young.
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That carries over to the zoo, where Tally rules the roost over Junior, Young said, even though Tally is younger.
Young said in larger groups of lemurs, that social structure plays out in physical terms. The dominant female can be found at the center of the group, with the younger males on the outskirts.
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The easiest way to differentiate between the lemurs at Reid Park Zoo is to look at their tails, Young said.
Tally, the female, has some white frosting on her tail, whereas Junior has an all-black tail.
Tally also has prominent canine teeth, making her look like "a sabertooth lemur," Young jokes. Junior's canines are hidden.
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Reid Park zookeepers have a tendency to put Junior and Tally's food in different locations from day-to-day.
They also change the environment as often as possible.
The changes keep the surroundings fresh and engaging for the lemurs, Young said.
But it also allows keepers the ability to watch the lemurs move around, to see if they are limping or have any other visible injuries.
"Things become apparent sometimes when you see the lemurs walking or running freely," Young said. "Animals are really good about hiding their sicknesses."
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While there are many variations of the lemur, they all hail from the island nation of Madagascar off the coast of Southeast Africa.
The word "lemur" means "ghost" in Latin, according to the Reid Park Zoo website.
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Black and white ruffed lemurs communicate vocally, but also by scent.
Tally and Junior are known to mark their territory by rubbing their bodies on branches, according to the Reid Park Zoo website.
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Next Thursday, we'll explore the world of Reid Park Zoo's two grizzly bears, Ronin and Finley, which came to Tucson from the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana in 2013.
That carries over to the zoo, where Tally rules the roost over Junior, Young said, even though Tally is younger.
Young said in larger groups of lemurs, that social structure plays out in physical terms. The dominant female can be found at the center of the group, with the younger males on the outskirts.
The easiest way to differentiate between the lemurs at Reid Park Zoo is to look at their tails, Young said.
Tally, the female, has some white frosting on her tail, whereas Junior has an all-black tail.
Tally also has prominent canine teeth, making her look like "a sabertooth lemur," Young jokes. Junior's canines are hidden.
Reid Park zookeepers have a tendency to put Junior and Tally's food in different locations from day-to-day.
They also change the environment as often as possible.
The changes keep the surroundings fresh and engaging for the lemurs, Young said.
But it also allows keepers the ability to watch the lemurs move around, to see if they are limping or have any other visible injuries.
"Things become apparent sometimes when you see the lemurs walking or running freely," Young said. "Animals are really good about hiding their sicknesses."
While there are many variations of the lemur, they all hail from the island nation of Madagascar off the coast of Southeast Africa.
The word "lemur" means "ghost" in Latin, according to the Reid Park Zoo website.
Black and white ruffed lemurs communicate vocally, but also by scent.
Tally and Junior are known to mark their territory by rubbing their bodies on branches, according to the Reid Park Zoo website.
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Jaguar was euthanized; gibbon died of natural causes.
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