Five endangered Ring-tailed Lemur babies - including two sets of twins - and the zoo’s first-ever baby Black Lemur, a species which is Vulnerable to Extinction in the wild in Madagascar, are the latest arrivals at Chester Zoo.

Born between mid-January and early March, each of the babies weighed less than a tennis ball at birth.

Photo Credit: Chester Zoo

Lemurs are born with their adult markings. But because they spend most of their time riding “piggyback” on their mothers, the care team can’t yet tell if the babies are male or female.

Wild Lemurs are found only on the island of Madagascar. As a group, Lemurs are one of the planet’s highest conservation priorities.

Madagascar has already lost up to 90% of its forests, which means that many species living in these environments are now on the brink of extinction.

Dr. Nick Davis, Deputy Curator of Mammals, said, “Madagascar is a truly inspirational place; home to incredible, unique wildlife that cannot be found anywhere else on the planet. Yet we can report first-hand that we are on the brink of losing many of these species forever. Conserving Madagascar’s lemurs is urgent and critical. That’s why any birth is important, but to have six rare baby Lemurs born within weeks of each other is great news for the breeding programme.”

Chester Zoo has been working with Madagasikara Voakajy in the country’s Mangabe New Protected Area, in a bid to save the unique animals that live there.

See more baby Lemur pics below!