Jovian (lemur)

Jovian
Species Coquerel's sifaka (Propithecus coquereli)
Sex Male
Born (1994-04-10)April 10, 1994
Duke Lemur Center, Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
Died November 10, 2014(2014-11-10) (aged 20)
Duke Lemur Center, Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
Nation from American
Occupation Actor
Notable role Zoboomafoo in Zoboomafoo
Years active 1999–2001
Parents Nigel
Flavia[1]
Offspring Ferdinand
Gertrude
Eleanor
Matilda
Gisela
Wilhelmina
Charlemagne[1]

Jovian (April 10, 1994 – November 10, 2014) was a Coquerel's sifaka, best known for mainly portraying Zoboomafoo in the series of the same name.[1][2][3] Jovian sometimes shared the title role with his father.[4]

Life

Jovian was born on April 10, 1994 at the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, North Carolina to Nigel and Flavia, Coquerel's sifaka lemurs.

When Martin Kratt and his younger brother Chris wanted a lemur co-host for their TV show Zoboomafoo, Martin returned to the Duke Lemur Center, where he had previously volunteered while a student at Duke University.[5] In 1997, the Kratts prepared for the show by filming Jovian and his parents jumping around an outdoor cage modelled on the stage set.[6] Jovian appeared on the program from January 1999 to November 2001. Jovian would appear mostly in the opening segments, before transforming into a talking lemur puppet after eating his meals.[7]

After appearing on the show, Jovian was credited with attracting 15,000 visitors to the Duke Lemur Center each year.[8] As part of the center's breeding program, Jovian mated with a lemur named Pia. One of their offspring, Charlemagne, was taken to a different habitat, after Jovian ejected him from the family group.[4] Jovian became ill in the late winter of 2013. He lost a large amount of weight in June 2014 and would only eat in his cage. Pia became pregnant shortly before his death.[9]

On November 10, 2014, Jovian died at his home of kidney failure at age 20, 5 months before his 21st birthday. News of his death spread quickly worldwide, with an outpouring of grief from the public and media industry.[1][10][11][12] The first relative of Jovian to be born after his death was his granddaughter Isabella, born on January 25, 2015.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Jovian, the PBS star lemur who played 'Zoboomafoo,' dies". United Press International. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Zoboomafoo Lemur Jovian Dead at 20; Co-Star Remembers Him as 'Gentle'". Yahoo!. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  3. ↑ "Lemur star of Zoboomafoo remembered as playful and caring". The Chronicle. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Prosimian Personalities — Jovian". Duke Lemur Center. 2011-09-25. Retrieved 2015-10-21.
  5. ↑ "Lemur famous from PBS show 'Zoboomafoo' dies". KFOR. 2014-11-12. Retrieved 2015-10-21.
  6. ↑ Glum, Julia (2014-11-12). "Jovian, Lemur Star of Kratt Brothers' Wildlife TV Show 'Zoboomafoo', Dead At 20". International Business Times. Retrieved 2015-10-21.
  7. 1 2 Smith, Christopher (2015-03-02). "Zoboomafoo's granddaughter born at Duke". Duke University. Retrieved 2015-10-21.
  8. ↑ Jacobson, Louis (2004-03-30). "Looking for lemurs". USA Today. Retrieved 2015-10-21.
  9. ↑ "Jovian, the lemur from PBS' Zoboomafoo, dead at 20". CBC News. 2014-11-12. Retrieved 2015-10-21.
  10. ↑ "'Zoboomafoo' star Jovian the lemur has died". Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "Lemur famous from PBS show 'Zoboomafoo' dead at 20". WTIC-TV. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  12. ↑ "Internet mourns loss of celebrity lemur Zoboomafoo". USA Today. Retrieved 14 November 2014.

External links

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