A Creature That Has a Superpower

A new episode of the Lemur Center podcast takes a deep dive into fat-tailed dwarf lemurs

Dwarf Lemur on the left and Aye-aye pod logo on the right

At the Duke Lemur Center (DLC) fat-tailed dwarf lemurs are more than just a cute face. Like all lemurs, they are endemic to Madagascar. But, dwarf lemurs’ unique survival strategy sets them apart from their fellow lemurs: These little tropical primates hibernate.

In the latest episode of Aye-aye Pod, the DLC’s official podcast, DLC Museum of Natural History curator Matt Borths and education programs manager Megan McGrath take listeners on a deep dive into the world of the only obligate hibernators in our primate family tree. 

McGrath highlights the extreme changes dwarf lemurs undergo in hibernation. “When you’re a dwarf lemur just moving around normally... eating to your heart’s content, you’re going to have a heart rate of over 200 beats per minute,” said McGrath. “If you’re a dwarf lemur in [hibernation], your heart rate goes down to maybe 5 to 10 beats total per minute... breathing maybe once every five minutes, and you’re going to have almost no activity in your brain waves.”

While all of the DLC’s lemurs contribute to scientific advancement through non-invasive research, dwarf lemurs warrant special consideration due to both their evolutionary superpowers and their close genetic links to humans. DLC research scientist Ana Breit’s work is forming the foundation for potentially huge advancements for humans – from safer surgeries to deep space travel. Breit studies dwarf lemur hibernation in specially constructed hibernacula rooms in the DLC’s Anna Borruel Codina Center for Lemur Medicine and Research to understand how these animals conserve energy and stay healthy through months of dormancy. 

“It sounds kinda sci-fi, but maybe NASA should be paying a little more attention to these dwarf lemurs,” says Borths. 

Learn more about the dwarf lemurs on the ad-free Aye-Aye Pod. Explore other episodes on the podcast website.