Twins of red ruffled lemurs are seen at the Singapore Zoo, Singapore, June 2020 (Reuters)
Singapore:
Singaporeans have their first glimpse of rare red-ruffed lemurs born at the Singapore Zoo a few months ago, after restrictions on coronaviruses delayed their introduction to the public.
The unnamed twins who arrived on February 22 are the first births of critically endangered species in the zoo since the birth of their 11-year-old father, Bosco.
Their mother, Minnie, eight, arrived in Singapore in 2016 from a zoo in Japan.
The couple was specially matched because of their genetic compatibility.
Rust-colored primates breed only once a year, making breeding notoriously difficult, Singapore Wildlife Reserve said Thursday.
“On top of that, the females are only fertile during one of the few days when they are sexually receptive, which makes this twin birth particularly special,” he said.
The twins only started welcoming visitors this month when the zoo was closed due to a coronavirus lockout.
The family with fluffy fur and black legs and faces is often spotted together at mealtimes. Five-month-old babies are almost the same size as their parents.
Native to northeastern Madagascar, red-ruffed lemurs are a sister species of lemurs with black and white ruffles.
The main threat to their population is the loss of habitat due to illegal logging and hunting. They live together as a family and are therefore often hunted in groups.
(Report by Aradhana Aravindan and Yi Shu Ng; Editing by Martin Petty)
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
