In a video announcement Wednesday, King Julien XIII, main character of DreamWorks' "All Hail King Julien", said two new baby ring-tailed lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center would be named after him.
The two baby lemurs—both named Princess Julien—were born May 4, but the announcement was held off so they could be carefully monitored. They will meet their namesake June 20 at a naming ceremony to be held at the center.
“Male or female, every lemur baby born is incredibly important,” said Janice Kalin, director of community and foundation relations at the Lemur Center. “Lemurs have recently been classified as the world’s most threatened mammal group. Every time we can add one—or two—more to their ranks, it helps to stabilize the genetic diversity of these fascinating primates.”
The first Princess Julien weighed 59 grams at birth and the second weighed 48. Both were approximately four inches long. These sizes indicated healthy births based on records kept by the center, Kalin said.
She noted the partnership with DreamWorks is mutually beneficial—it allows the show to have more educational value and it helps highlight the work of the center. The show, a spinoff of the "Madagascar" movie franchise, is a comedy following the adventures of King Julien and his lemur friends.
“Every day, visitors to the Duke Lemur Center ask us to show them which lemur is King Julien—and now we really can,” Kalin said.
Visitors to the center’s Lemurpalooza event June 20 will be able to meet King Julien and see his two baby namesakes, as well as participate in educational sessions.
This article was updated Thursday evening to include the video of the announcement.
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Adam Beyer is a senior public policy major and is The Chronicle's Digital Strategy Team director.