A digital collection of rare and endangered lemurs and other primates from the Duke Lemur Center.

Abstract

Scientific study of lemurs, a group of primates found only on Madagascar, is crucial for understanding primate evolution. Unfortunately, lemurs are among the most endangered animals in the world, so there is a strong impetus to maximize as much scientific data as possible from available physical specimens. MicroCT scanning efforts at Duke University have resulted in scans of more than 100 strepsirrhine cadavers representing 18 species from the Duke Lemur Center. An error study of the microCT scanner recovered less than 0.3% error at multiple resolution levels. Scans include specimen overviews and focused, high-resolution selections of complex anatomical regions (e.g., cranium, hands, feet). Scans have been uploaded to MorphoSource, an online digital repository for 3D data. As captive (but free ranging) individuals, these specimens have a wealth of associated information that is largely unavailable for wild populations, including detailed life history data. This digital collection maximizes the information obtained from rare and endangered animals with minimal degradation of the original specimens.