Sleeping Cutie: The Hibernation Habits of Dwarf Lemurs

[@berni1602]

Such a great research you're doing there. I had no idea that any primate hibernated and the way they do it is amazing.

[@Sweetleef]

GREAT RESEARCH? Think about that statement. Would it be great research to do to a human - kidnapping, breeding and torturing people by putting them in wire and glass cages and electrodes on their heads? At least it would be more moral than doing it to innocent lemurs who belong in the wild! Great research my ***. If your heart tells you that this is great, obviously humanity has gone BACKWARD.

[@sharonwang5023]

5:37 what type of lemur was in the background swinging?

[@epsospremium6088]

*Beautiful lemurs* that make our planet more fun and interesting. They can be our role model for how to sleep well :-)

[@Sweetleef]

instead though, they are innocent victims of humanity.

[@sharonwang5023]

Torpor is fascinating! I wonder how it could be employed in humans compared to these lemurs- are we not physiologically different? I hope the "switch" in the lemurs is found soon.

[@mitkoogrozev]

I'm a bit late to the party but yeah, I'm wondering something similar . We may have the torpor genes, but what other genes and/or physiological similarities we might need to have with the lemur so the torpor is sustainable and not damaging to us.

[@subh1]

ok, just to be clear: The Aye-ayes that you showed multiple times in the video, are different from these Lemurs, right?

[@davidonfim2381]

yes.

[@Helveteshit]

Any particular reason for the red light?

[@scifri]

They are nocturnal and they do not see the red light.

[@larissashen4874]

Lemurs are so cute and our ancestors.

[@davidonfim2381]

They're not our ancestors, we are both descendants from a common ancestor. It's like you and your sibling. Both of you came from your parents (common ancestor), your sibling did not give birth to you.

[@LadyJ_88]

@@davidonfim2381 hahaha thank you. I'm pretty sure my eye twitched when I read her comment

[@valibaimoukhametov6795]

@@davidonfim2381 They probably resemble our early ancestors more than we do in some ways.

[@moumous87]

🏅🥇🎖️

[@judgedrench1595]

ZABOOMAFOO beta version

[@CrankyPantss]

You dig them out of their comfortable hibernation burrow, put electrodes under their skin, and house them in a wire cage with pvc pipe for what purpose? Just for something to do? They aren't going to act the same way in a wire cage as they do in the wild. Put them back where they belong and leave them alone.

[@scifri]

The animals shown in the hibernation burrows in the wild are not the same as ones in captivity. The wild animals are returned to the wild after they're collared. The captive animals shown were born in captivity as part of a breeding program in case something happens to highly endangered wild population. But you are correct, the captive animals do not behave the way the wild animals do. They do not enter torpor for as long and they the intervals between arousals is longer.

[@CrankyPantss]

SciFri Thank you for the clarification. The sequence of the events in the video gave me the impression that the caged animals were the ones that were dug out of their burrows. I am glad that I was mistaken.

[@Unnassigned]

Let them be free 😑

[@Helveteshit]

Let us have you inside a cage to be studied instead for Humanity. Only a computer, and bed along with what ever food is cheapest. Not to mention, they are endangered. So this is a way of preserving Lemurs.

[@Unnassigned]

@@Helveteshit this is not a study for the sake of humanity but I see what you mean. Just let nature kill of what it wants. 99% of all speacies ever lived has gone extinct. (sorry for bad english, but I dont care :P )

[@graphite2786]

@@Unnassigned Humans have pushed these animals to the edge of extinction, these researchers are trying to save the species from extinction. This PETA promoted ideology "Let endangered species die out because it's natural" is hypocritical and caters to the multinational companies that are destroying habitats and biomes around the world. I'm glad to know that the biologists at Duke are trying to save some of the lemurs of Madagascar through their research and captive breeding facilities.