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Delivering dancing lemurs

A critically endangered primate, nicknamed ‘the dancing lemur’ because of the way it moves, has been bred for the first time in Europe, BBC News has reported. The creature is a type of lemur called a ‘Coquerel’s sifaka’ and Chester Zoo has declared the birth of the baby as a ‘landmark moment for the species’.

A representative said the “precious youngster” arrived to parents Beatrice and Elliot 18 months after they were relocated from the US. Curator of mammals Mark Brayshaw said both mother and baby were “doing great”. The species is only found in the wild in the treetops of north-west Madagascar and has suffered an 80% decline in the last 30 years due to widespread deforestation. They are distinguishable from other lemurs because of the way they move, maintaining an upright posture and springing from side-to-side along the floor on their back legs.