Blue-Eyed Black Lemur

Eulemur flavifrons

One of the world's most threatened primates, a blue-eyed Madagascar lemur whose males are black and females are orange.

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About the Blue-Eyed Black Lemur

Blue-eyed black lemurs weigh about 4 to 5 pounds and carry their long tails high as they move. Males are completely black and females are reddish-brown to orange, which makes them one of the most different-looking pairs of any lemur. They live in humid forests of northwestern Madagascar and eat ripe fruit in the rainy season, then switch to leaves, flowers, nectar and seeds when fruit is scarce.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Eulemur flavifrons^[1]
Weight: About 4 to 5 pounds.^[1]
Diet: Fruit, leaves, seeds, nectar, flowers, mushrooms and some insects.^[1]
Habitat: Humid forest.^[1]
Where it lives: Northwestern Madagascar.^[1]
Group life: A male and female pair with their young.^[1]
Babies: One or two babies after about 126 days.^[1]
Conservation status: Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2018).^[2]

Fun facts

Male blue-eyed black lemurs are black; females are orange.^[1]
They carry their tails high as they move.^[1]
Fewer than ten breeding-age females live in North American zoos.^[1]

Vocabulary

lemur: A primate found in the wild only on Madagascar.
sexually dichromatic: Having males and females of different colors.
nectar: A sweet liquid made by flowers.
quadrupedal: Walking on all four limbs.
critically endangered: A conservation label meaning a species faces an extremely high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and AquariumOmaha, Nebraska · Hubbard Expedition MadagascarSee this area on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Duke Lemur Center. “Blue-eyed black lemur.” https://lemur.duke.edu/discover/meet-the-lemurs/blue-eyed-black-lemur/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Eulemur flavifrons (Blue-eyed Black Lemur).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/8211/115563094 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

More Lemurs

Aye-AyeDaubentonia madagascariensisA strange-looking nocturnal lemur that taps on trees with a long, thin middle finger to find grubs inside.Black-and-White Ruffed LemurVarecia variegataThe largest lemur, a critically endangered fruit-eater of eastern Madagascar's rainforests that raises its babies in nests.

Coquerel's SifakaPropithecus coquereliA white-and-brown lemur of northwestern Madagascar that leaps between trees and hops sideways on the ground.Crowned LemurEulemur coronatusA small, fruit-eating lemur of northern Madagascar whose males and females look so different they were once easy to tell apart at a glance.Gray Mouse LemurMicrocebus murinusOne of the smallest primates in the world, a tiny, big-eyed lemur that weighs about two ounces.Mongoose LemurEulemur mongozA small, gray, critically endangered lemur of northwestern Madagascar and the Comoro Islands that can switch between day and night activity.Red Ruffed LemurVarecia rubraA critically endangered orange-red lemur with a black face and a thick neck ruff, found only on Madagascar's Masoala Peninsula.Red-Fronted Brown LemurEulemur rufifronsA fruit-eating Madagascar lemur whose males and females are different colors, and one of the few lemurs not led by females.

Ring-Tailed LemurLemur cattaAn endangered primate of southwestern Madagascar with a black-and-white striped tail, female-led troops and a love of sunbathing.