Nocturnal Primates in North American Zoos

Coelacanth18

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
Premium Member
This thread is for detailing what species of nocturnal primate are held where in the United States and Canada. Taxonomic groups covered here are:

Dwarf lemurs and mouse lemurs (family Cheirogaleidae)
Aye-aye (family Daubentoniidae)
Lorises (family Lorisidae)
Bushbabies/galagos (family Galagidae)
Night Monkeys/owl monkeys/douroucoulis (family Aotidae)

Confirmation dates are currently valid as far back as 01/01/2017; the more recent, the better. Valid sources include public and official zoo sources (website, maps, social media); photographs (with valid time stamps); and eyewitness accounts of on-display species and/or signage (please indicate which) by you or another ZooChatter. Please do not post confidential information. I reserve the right for myself and others to ask for sources and dispute them if they are suspected to be incorrect or unreliable. Holding facilities that are in italics have that species off public display.

This is the first group of primates I finished, however I believe there may still be quite a few gaps here. The biggest issue currently is Aotidae; the family has undergone significant splitting in the past several years, and as a result both the common and Latin names used by zoos are variable and potentially unreliable. As such, please note that in this initial draft the Aotus species in particular are identified conservatively and would benefit from confirmation/clarification.

Next thread planned (currently a WIP) will cover the rest of the lemur family.

Family Cheirogaleidae (2 species)

Gray Mouse Lemur (Microcebus murinus) (3 holders)
Bronx Zoo
Duke Lemur Center
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleus medius) (1 holder)
Duke Lemur Center

Family Daubentoniidae (1 species)

Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) (7 holders)
Cincinnati Zoo
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Denver Zoo
Duke Lemur Center
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Philadelphia Zoo
San Diego Zoo

Family Lorisidae (3 species)

Red Slender Loris (Loris tardigradus) (1 holder)
Memphis Zoo

Pygmy Slow Loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus) (17 holders)
Akron Zoo
Bronx Zoo
Brookfield Zoo
Capron Park Zoo
Cincinnati Zoo
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Columbus Zoo
Duke Lemur Center
Lake Superior Zoo
Lee Richardson Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo
Little Rock Zoo
Miller Park Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Philadelphia Zoo
Pueblo Zoo
San Diego Zoo

Potto (Peridicticus potto) (4 holders)
Cincinnati Zoo
Franklin Park Zoo
Milwaukee County Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

Family Galagidae (3 species)

Mohol Bushbaby (Galago moholi) (7 holders)
Bronx Zoo
Central Park Zoo
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo
Little Rock Zoo
Milwaukee County Zoo
Staten Island Zoo

Northern Greater Galago (Otolemur garnetti) (7 holders)
Animal Adventures Family Zoo (Bolton, MA)
Cincinnati Zoo
Forsyth Nature Center (Kingston, NY)
Henry Vilas Zoo
Memphis Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Trevor Zoo

Brown Greater Galago (Otolemur crassicaudatus) (1 holder)
Wildlife World Zoo

Unknown species of Galagidae (1 holder - HELP ID)
Turtle Back Zoo

Family Aotidae (3 species)

Azara's Night Monkey (Aotus azarae) (1 holder)
Bright's Zoo

Nancy Ma's Night Monkey (Aotus nancymaae) (1 holder)

Audubon Zoo

Gray-bellied Night Monkey (Aotus lemurinus) (1 holder)
Milwaukee County Zoo

Unknown species of Aotidae (6 holders - HELP ID)
Bear Creek Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary (Barrie, ON)
Capron Park Zoo
Exotic Animal Experience (Orlando, FL)
Memphis Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Timbavati Wildlife Park (Wisconsin Dells, WI)
 
Unanswered questions:

- Does El Paso Zoo still hold Pygmy Slow Loris? (paging you @Arizona Docent)
- Does Mesker Park Zoo still hold any species of night monkey, and if so which one?
- Can anyone confirm species for Turtle Back's galago or any of the 6 unidentified Aotus holders?
- Are there still any holders of Slow Lorises besides Pygmy?
- Are the slender lorises at Memphis actually L. tardigradus, or are they L. lydekkerianus like those in Europe?
 
This thread is for detailing what species of nocturnal primate are held where in the United States and Canada. Taxonomic groups covered here are:

Dwarf lemurs and mouse lemurs (family Cheirogaleidae)
Aye-aye (family Daubentoniidae)
Lorises (family Lorisidae)
Bushbabies/galagos (family Galagidae)
Night Monkeys/owl monkeys/douroucoulis (family Aotidae)

Confirmation dates are currently valid as far back as 01/01/2017; the more recent, the better. Valid sources include public and official zoo sources (website, maps, social media); photographs (with valid time stamps); and eyewitness accounts of on-display species and/or signage (please indicate which) by you or another ZooChatter. Please do not post confidential information. I reserve the right for myself and others to ask for sources and dispute them if they are suspected to be incorrect or unreliable. Holding facilities that are in italics have that species off public display.

This is the first group of primates I finished, however I believe there may still be quite a few gaps here. The biggest issue currently is Aotidae; the family has undergone significant splitting in the past several years, and as a result both the common and Latin names used by zoos are variable and potentially unreliable. As such, please note that in this initial draft the Aotus species in particular are identified conservatively and would benefit from confirmation/clarification.

Next thread planned (currently a WIP) will cover the rest of the lemur family.

Family Cheirogaleidae (2 species)

Gray Mouse Lemur (Microcebus murinus) (3 holders)
Bronx Zoo
Duke Lemur Center
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleus medius) (1 holder)
Duke Lemur Center

Family Daubentoniidae (1 species)

Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) (7 holders)
Cincinnati Zoo
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Denver Zoo
Duke Lemur Center
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Philadelphia Zoo
San Diego Zoo

Family Lorisidae (3 species)

Red Slender Loris (Loris tardigradus) (1 holder)
Memphis Zoo

Pygmy Slow Loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus) (17 holders)
Akron Zoo
Bronx Zoo
Brookfield Zoo
Capron Park Zoo
Cincinnati Zoo
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Columbus Zoo
Duke Lemur Center
Lake Superior Zoo
Lee Richardson Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo
Little Rock Zoo
Miller Park Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Philadelphia Zoo
Pueblo Zoo
San Diego Zoo

Potto (Peridicticus potto) (4 holders)
Cincinnati Zoo
Franklin Park Zoo
Milwaukee County Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

Family Galagidae (3 species)

Mohol Bushbaby (Galago moholi) (7 holders)
Bronx Zoo
Central Park Zoo
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo
Little Rock Zoo
Milwaukee County Zoo
Staten Island Zoo

Northern Greater Galago (Otolemur garnetti) (7 holders)
Animal Adventures Family Zoo (Bolton, MA)
Cincinnati Zoo
Forsyth Nature Center (Kingston, NY)
Henry Vilas Zoo
Memphis Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Trevor Zoo

Brown Greater Galago (Otolemur crassicaudatus) (1 holder)
Wildlife World Zoo

Unknown species of Galagidae (1 holder - HELP ID)
Turtle Back Zoo

Family Aotidae (3 species)

Azara's Night Monkey (Aotus azarae) (1 holder)
Bright's Zoo

Nancy Ma's Night Monkey (Aotus nancymaae) (1 holder)

Audubon Zoo

Gray-bellied Night Monkey (Aotus lemurinus) (1 holder)
Milwaukee County Zoo

Unknown species of Aotidae (6 holders - HELP ID)
Bear Creek Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary (Barrie, ON)
Capron Park Zoo
Exotic Animal Experience (Orlando, FL)
Memphis Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Timbavati Wildlife Park (Wisconsin Dells, WI)
Janda Exotics animal ranch in Texas have bushbabies for sale so maybe some unaccredited zoos have them.
 
Unanswered questions:

- Does El Paso Zoo still hold Pygmy Slow Loris? (paging you @Arizona Docent)
- Does Mesker Park Zoo still hold any species of night monkey, and if so which one?
- Can anyone confirm species for Turtle Back's galago or any of the 6 unidentified Aotus holders?
- Are there still any holders of Slow Lorises besides Pygmy?
- Are the slender lorises at Memphis actually L. tardigradus, or are they L. lydekkerianus like those in Europe?
When I returned to El Paso a year ago to photograph ocelot kittens, I don't think I even went inside the small nocturnal building, so I can't say if they still have pygmy slow loris.
 
When I returned to El Paso a year ago to photograph ocelot kittens, I don't think I even went inside the small nocturnal building, so I can't say if they still have pygmy slow loris.

No worries, did another check and was able to confirm them.
 
This thread is for detailing what species of nocturnal primate are held where in the United States and Canada. Taxonomic groups covered here are:

Dwarf lemurs and mouse lemurs (family Cheirogaleidae)
Aye-aye (family Daubentoniidae)
Lorises (family Lorisidae)
Bushbabies/galagos (family Galagidae)
Night Monkeys/owl monkeys/douroucoulis (family Aotidae)

Confirmation dates are currently valid as far back as 01/01/2017; the more recent, the better. Valid sources include public and official zoo sources (website, maps, social media); photographs (with valid time stamps); and eyewitness accounts of on-display species and/or signage (please indicate which) by you or another ZooChatter. Please do not post confidential information. I reserve the right for myself and others to ask for sources and dispute them if they are suspected to be incorrect or unreliable. Holding facilities that are in italics have that species off public display.

This is the first group of primates I finished, however I believe there may still be quite a few gaps here. The biggest issue currently is Aotidae; the family has undergone significant splitting in the past several years, and as a result both the common and Latin names used by zoos are variable and potentially unreliable. As such, please note that in this initial draft the Aotus species in particular are identified conservatively and would benefit from confirmation/clarification.

Next thread planned (currently a WIP) will cover the rest of the lemur family.

Family Cheirogaleidae (2 species)

Gray Mouse Lemur (Microcebus murinus) (3 holders)
Bronx Zoo
Duke Lemur Center
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleus medius) (1 holder)
Duke Lemur Center

Family Daubentoniidae (1 species)

Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) (7 holders)
Cincinnati Zoo
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Denver Zoo
Duke Lemur Center
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Philadelphia Zoo
San Diego Zoo

Family Lorisidae (3 species)

Red Slender Loris (Loris tardigradus) (1 holder)
Memphis Zoo

Pygmy Slow Loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus) (17 holders)
Akron Zoo
Bronx Zoo
Brookfield Zoo
Capron Park Zoo
Cincinnati Zoo
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Columbus Zoo
Duke Lemur Center
Lake Superior Zoo
Lee Richardson Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo
Little Rock Zoo
Miller Park Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Philadelphia Zoo
Pueblo Zoo
San Diego Zoo

Potto (Peridicticus potto) (4 holders)
Cincinnati Zoo
Franklin Park Zoo
Milwaukee County Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

Family Galagidae (3 species)

Mohol Bushbaby (Galago moholi) (7 holders)
Bronx Zoo
Central Park Zoo
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo
Little Rock Zoo
Milwaukee County Zoo
Staten Island Zoo

Northern Greater Galago (Otolemur garnetti) (7 holders)
Animal Adventures Family Zoo (Bolton, MA)
Cincinnati Zoo
Forsyth Nature Center (Kingston, NY)
Henry Vilas Zoo
Memphis Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Trevor Zoo

Brown Greater Galago (Otolemur crassicaudatus) (1 holder)
Wildlife World Zoo

Unknown species of Galagidae (1 holder - HELP ID)
Turtle Back Zoo

Family Aotidae (3 species)

Azara's Night Monkey (Aotus azarae) (1 holder)
Bright's Zoo

Nancy Ma's Night Monkey (Aotus nancymaae) (1 holder)

Audubon Zoo

Gray-bellied Night Monkey (Aotus lemurinus) (1 holder)
Milwaukee County Zoo

Unknown species of Aotidae (6 holders - HELP ID)
Bear Creek Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary (Barrie, ON)
Capron Park Zoo
Exotic Animal Experience (Orlando, FL)
Memphis Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Timbavati Wildlife Park (Wisconsin Dells, WI)
Henry Vilas does not keep Northern Greater Galago, as afaik they never have (at least not in the recent past). Curious on your source for this one.

Brookfield may still keep Moholi Bushbaby bts but I'm not completely sure.

I'm pretty sure Milwaukee's night monkey died, at the very least is no longer on exhibit. It was Aotus griseimembra if split.
 
This thread is for detailing what species of nocturnal primate are held where in the United States and Canada. Taxonomic groups covered here are:

Dwarf lemurs and mouse lemurs (family Cheirogaleidae)
Aye-aye (family Daubentoniidae)
Lorises (family Lorisidae)
Bushbabies/galagos (family Galagidae)
Night Monkeys/owl monkeys/douroucoulis (family Aotidae)

Confirmation dates are currently valid as far back as 01/01/2017; the more recent, the better. Valid sources include public and official zoo sources (website, maps, social media); photographs (with valid time stamps); and eyewitness accounts of on-display species and/or signage (please indicate which) by you or another ZooChatter. Please do not post confidential information. I reserve the right for myself and others to ask for sources and dispute them if they are suspected to be incorrect or unreliable. Holding facilities that are in italics have that species off public display.

This is the first group of primates I finished, however I believe there may still be quite a few gaps here. The biggest issue currently is Aotidae; the family has undergone significant splitting in the past several years, and as a result both the common and Latin names used by zoos are variable and potentially unreliable. As such, please note that in this initial draft the Aotus species in particular are identified conservatively and would benefit from confirmation/clarification.

Next thread planned (currently a WIP) will cover the rest of the lemur family.

Family Cheirogaleidae (2 species)

Gray Mouse Lemur (Microcebus murinus) (3 holders)
Bronx Zoo
Duke Lemur Center
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleus medius) (1 holder)
Duke Lemur Center

Family Daubentoniidae (1 species)

Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) (7 holders)
Cincinnati Zoo
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Denver Zoo
Duke Lemur Center
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Philadelphia Zoo
San Diego Zoo

Family Lorisidae (3 species)

Red Slender Loris (Loris tardigradus) (1 holder)
Memphis Zoo

Pygmy Slow Loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus) (17 holders)
Akron Zoo
Bronx Zoo
Brookfield Zoo
Capron Park Zoo
Cincinnati Zoo
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Columbus Zoo
Duke Lemur Center
Lake Superior Zoo
Lee Richardson Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo
Little Rock Zoo
Miller Park Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Philadelphia Zoo
Pueblo Zoo
San Diego Zoo

Potto (Peridicticus potto) (4 holders)
Cincinnati Zoo
Franklin Park Zoo
Milwaukee County Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

Family Galagidae (3 species)

Mohol Bushbaby (Galago moholi) (7 holders)
Bronx Zoo
Central Park Zoo
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo
Little Rock Zoo
Milwaukee County Zoo
Staten Island Zoo

Northern Greater Galago (Otolemur garnetti) (7 holders)
Animal Adventures Family Zoo (Bolton, MA)
Cincinnati Zoo
Forsyth Nature Center (Kingston, NY)
Henry Vilas Zoo
Memphis Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Trevor Zoo

Brown Greater Galago (Otolemur crassicaudatus) (1 holder)
Wildlife World Zoo

Unknown species of Galagidae (1 holder - HELP ID)
Turtle Back Zoo

Family Aotidae (3 species)

Azara's Night Monkey (Aotus azarae) (1 holder)
Bright's Zoo

Nancy Ma's Night Monkey (Aotus nancymaae) (1 holder)

Audubon Zoo

Gray-bellied Night Monkey (Aotus lemurinus) (1 holder)
Milwaukee County Zoo

Unknown species of Aotidae (6 holders - HELP ID)
Bear Creek Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary (Barrie, ON)
Capron Park Zoo
Exotic Animal Experience (Orlando, FL)
Memphis Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Timbavati Wildlife Park (Wisconsin Dells, WI)
Peoria should have Nancy Ma's. Senegal bushbaby at Turtle back, Garnett's at Black Pine Sanctuary in Indiana, thick-tailed at Paws Farm Nature Center in New Jersey and Noah's Ark Retreat in New York (i think)
 
Henry Vilas does not keep Northern Greater Galago, as afaik they never have (at least not in the recent past). Curious on your source for this one.

I wish they did.

Post #18 here: Henry Vilas Zoo News 2020 [Henry Vilas Zoo]
confirmed by this LA Zoo document here: https://www.lazoo.org/wp-new/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/09.2019-Animal-Transactions.pdf

I assume the animal is held bts, hence why I listed it in italics.

Brookfield may still keep Moholi Bushbaby bts but I'm not completely sure.

I'm pretty sure Milwaukee's night monkey died, at the very least is no longer on exhibit. It was Aotus griseimembra if split.

As both of these were taken off exhibit and there is no evidence of them being bts as of yet, I will leave them off.
 
as far as I’m aware the latter is mis-signed moholi.
DWA still has one behind the scenes as far as I’m aware :)
Peoria should have Nancy Ma's. Senegal bushbaby at Turtle back, Garnett's at Black Pine Sanctuary in Indiana, thick-tailed at Paws Farm Nature Center in New Jersey and Noah's Ark Retreat in New York (i think)

Do either of you have evidence for Turtle Back, Black Pine, and Noah's Ark Retreat of them being those species in particular, and evidence for DWA*, Peoria, and Paws Farm's holdings at all? Refer to the top of my first post as to what constitutes said evidence (remember that personally seeing them counts); if posting all of it here is a hassle you can PM me what you have.

*for this I just need 2017 or later specifically, as I know they were present but can't get a source that recent
 
Do either of you have evidence for Turtle Back, Black Pine, and Noah's Ark Retreat of them being those species in particular, and evidence for DWA*, Peoria, and Paws Farm's holdings at all? Refer to the top of my first post as to what constitutes said evidence (remember that personally seeing them counts); if posting all of it here is a hassle you can PM me what you have.

*for this I just need 2017 or later specifically, as I know they were present but can't get a source that recent
When i visited Turtle Back i saw an exhibit signed Senegal bushbaby, though i saw none. Paws Farm's website. i've seen them at Black Pine and their listed on their website. they had at Peoria when i visited several years ago. Noah's Ark Retreat has many bushbaby pictures on their website.
 
Paws Farm's website.

Can't find said website, but in looking for it I discovered that Paws Farm closed permanently a couple months ago.

they had at Peoria when i visited several years ago.

Is several years ago 3 or less?

Noah's Ark Retreat has many bushbaby pictures on their website.

I was able to find those also, what I don't know is what species it is; definitely looks like an Otolemur of some kind, but can't tell if it's Garnett's or a different one.

Turtle Back have Moholi bushbaby.

As I said in my previous post, I'm going to need a source for that, especially since the zoo has the animal signed as Senegal. Has someone identified the animal in-person?
 
As I said in my previous post, I'm going to need a source for that, especially since the zoo has the animal signed as Senegal. Has someone identified the animal in-person?

My source is a friend who has visited the zoo and ID’d it in person. She’s a primatology student that specialises in nocturnal prosimians so I think she knows what she’s on about :)
 
Post #18 here: Henry Vilas Zoo News 2020 [Henry Vilas Zoo]
confirmed by this LA Zoo document here: https://www.lazoo.org/wp-new/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/09.2019-Animal-Transactions.pdf

I assume the animal is held bts, hence why I listed it in italics.



As both of these were taken off exhibit and there is no evidence of them being bts as of yet, I will leave them off.

I was literally the one who posted about it and I still forgot they had one. I wonder if they ever plan on building an exhibit for them.
 
I was literally the one who posted about it and I still forgot they had one

I noticed that as well :p though to be fair the LA Zoo document was necessary for confirmation, as I couldn't find anything public from the zoo itself.
 
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