Aww! Cute and critically endangered baby lemur born at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

It might be a boy or a girl. It's still too early to tell. But one thing is crystal clear: the baby is extremely cute, a tad shy and crucial to its species.

A critically endangered blue-eyed black lemur was born on March 10 at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. Still dependent on its mother, the baby is doing well, zoo officials announced Tuesday.

The little one is the second successful birth of a blue-eyed black lemur — one of the world's most endangered primates —  at the zoo. 

It also is the second baby from parents Hendricks and Hemsworth, a pair of blue-eyed black lemurs that have been at the zoo since 2017, said Tracy Fenn, zoo assistant curator of mammals.

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"The infant is doing well and is still dependent on its mother," Fenn said. "The Madagascar team is hoping to know the gender of the infant in the next few weeks and are giving the mother and infant space during this critical time of development."

No name yet for the baby

Zoo staff have not decided on a name for the baby. That is expected once they know if it is a male or female.

Parents Hendricks and Hemsworth arrived at the Jacksonville zoo in 2017. Their firstborn left the zoo in July 2021 and is thriving at the San Diego Zoo, where reports say her best friend is a ring-tailed lemur, zoo officials said.

Fenn said the new lemur baby and its parents aren't on exhibit yet at the Jacksonville Zoo. Zookeepers are giving them space to relax and bond during this early development stage.

The infant "will remain behind the scenes in a quiet area with its parents until it is old enough to safely join the rest of the group."

“We have many reasons to celebrate this new infant," Fenn said. "He or she will further enrich the social environment and experience of the zoo’s amazing mixed-species lemur group and strengthen the sustainability of the blue-eyed black lemur population."

As their name implies, blue-eyed black lemurs are among the few species of primates that have blue eyes. They are the only primates with blue eyes, according to wildlife conservation scientists.

Typically, males are black while females are a rusty brown color. As infants, the lemurs have brown fur that "blends in with their mother. As they get older, the color will darken and if it's a male, turn black. 

Every birth of blue-eyed black lemurs is considered critical to their long-term sustainability, zoo officials said.

Researchers think that there might be fewer than 1,000 individuals of the species left in the wild, according to the Duke Lemur Center at Duke University in Durham, N.C.

Madagascar is the only place blue-eyed lemurs are found. The wild population continues to dwindle due to multiple factors such as habitat loss, hunting and trapping, the Duke Lemur Center website shows.

Jacksonville Zoo officials say that scientists estimate that the species population will plunge about 88 percent by 2080 due to climate change alone.

That means every blue-eyed black lemur birth is significant.

“We’re fortunate to work in an environment that places great emphasis on education and conservation of wildlife and their habitats,” said Jeff Ettling, zoo president and CEO.

And public awareness and education are key to the species' survival.

“We help our guests understand the threats these animals face and the role and potential benefits the species provide to the ecosystems they inhabit. We hope this will inspire action,” Ettling said.

The zoo’s blue-eyed black lemurs live in its award-winning African Forest exhibit that opened in August 2018. The exhibit was designed to provide an "enriching, dynamic, wellness-inspired" environment for the lemurs and other primates, the zoo said.