Endangered lemur born at Newquay Zoo

A rare crowned lemur has been born at Newquay Zoo in Cornwall.

The zoo is celebrating the newborn, who arrived on June 24 to mother Beloha and father Xavier.

The youngster – whose sex is still unknown – is now one of four endangered crowned lemurs at the zoo, after brother Boingy was born in June 2020.

“It is difficult to determine which sex they are when they are infants, especially as they stay very close to mum,” senior primate keeper Danielle Wilkins said.

“As they develop with age, males and females can be differentiated through their colouration.

“Females are predominantly light grey with a pale orange crown and males are reddish brown with an orange and black crown.”

Crowned lemurs are classified as an endangered species, with numbers in the wild under threat from habitat loss in their native Madagascar.