Elo and Anja, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s vivacious ring-tailed lemur twins, turn two years old on Tues., July 11! They may be the youngest residents on Lemur Island, but they have leadership in their lineage, thanks to their respect-commanding mother, Allagash, and the fascinating hierarchy of lemurs.
“Allagash is kind of the queen of Lemur Island,” said Courtney Rogers, senior keeper in Water’s Edge: Africa. “So, it’s not too far-fetched to say her kids would be the prince and princess. Female lemurs typically sit at the top of the hierarchy in lemur groups. Allagash and her sister Rogue have always outranked Hercules, their male mate and the twins’ father. Now that the island youngsters are getting bigger, it’s pretty clear that Anja is embracing her role as second-in-command.”
When it’s dinner time, Allagash eats first and allows only her kids to sit close enough to join her for the first-round snacks. Anja will help her mom chase the others away if they feel like they aren’t getting the best possible food options, best places to sunbathe, most interesting enrichment items or enough space to themselves. Of course, keepers make sure there’s plenty to go around to the whole group. Elo, Anja’s male twin, and their half-brother Maky, seem to mirror their dad, Hercules’ personality, and go with the flow. Rogue is more laid back than Allagash, which works for their group dynamic.
“Our group has its hierarchy well established, and they are so sweet with each other,” said Rogers. “All six of them will pile into the same hammock and wrap their tails around each other to snooze peacefully, or sit in a big line to groom each other, which is a sign of a tightly bonded group. The half-siblings, Elo, Anja and Maky, love to chase, leap and wrestle around together.”
Anja, who is the smallest lemur in the group, has a lot of heart. She is usually right at Hercules’ side when he calls the family together with a contact “howl”, and is often the first to add her vocal talent to his. Ring-tailed lemurs use over two dozen unique vocalizations, so Anja and Elo have been practicing their calls to communicate with family members. They are both very observant and have a great vantage point from high in the treetops, so they’ll let everyone know if they see anything that might be out of the ordinary. Maky, Allagash, Rogue, and Hercules come to investigate and join in, and practicing a synchronized family chorus helps their bond grow even stronger. Then, it’s back to napping, snacking and playing.
“They love turning our ideas for enrichment into even-better activities,” said Rogers. “We got them a knotted rope hammock recently and Elo, Anja, and Maky had such a great time jumping in and out that it started looking more like a vertical mesh ladder than a hammock. They quickly invented a new game, and we watched them leap to the top of the newly-imagined ladder and somersault back down over and over again. It’s always a fun surprise to see how the lemurs are going to interact with their surroundings. They have so much energy and they’re great innovators!”
The high-energy, high-climbing, beautifully bonded family will surely keep all party goers in good spirits as the whole Water’s Edge: Africa family celebrates the twins.
Mark your calendars for 10 a.m. to noon on Tues., July 11, and get advance e-tickets to join in the festivities. The birthday party will be at the hippo pool in Water’s Edge: Africa, where our partners at Children’s Hospital Colorado, will bring a very special pair of 2-year-old twins who will celebrate their own birthday!
Join us for these fun activities from 10 a.m. until noon!
— Visit our docent booth with animal biofacts to learn more about the natural world.
— Make the twins a birthday card!
— Visit Children’s Colorado’s photo booth – complete with lemur-themed photo props!
— Visit Children’s Colorado’s coloring station.
11 a.m. — Enjoy a lemur keeper talk outside Lemur Island.
11:30 a.m. — Watch special guests from Children’s Colorado give a birthday treat to our lemurs.
11:45 a.m. — Sing “Happy Birthday” to the lemurs and our special guests, who are also twins!
While all birthday party activities are included in daytime admission, advance Zoo tickets are required. You can get your tickets at cmzoo.org.