Twin red-ruffed lemurs have been born at Singapore zoo, officials said Thursday, a rare double delivery that is a boost for the endangered saucer-eyed primates.

The twin red-ruffed lemurs are moved in a pet-carrier to a vet for check-up in this picture relased by Wildlife Reserves Singapore
The twin red-ruffed lemurs are moved in a pet-carrier to a vet for check-up in this picture relased by Wildlife Reserves Singapore WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE / Handout

It was the first birth at the zoo of the endangered creatures, which are native to Madagascar, in over a decade, Wildlife Reserves Singapore said.

One of the twins is given a full medical check-up by a vet in Singapore
One of the twins is given a full medical check-up by a vet in Singapore WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE / Handout

The arrival of the yet-to-be-named twins was "particularly special" because the creatures breed only once a year, it said.

The fluffy lemurs are a distinctive rust colour, with black faces, hands, feet and tails, and a distinctive white patch on their heads.

Twin red-ruffed lemurs have been born at Singapore zoo, a rare double delivery that is a boost for the endangered saucer-eyed primates
Twin red-ruffed lemurs have been born at Singapore zoo, a rare double delivery that is a boost for the endangered saucer-eyed primates AUDIO NETWORK /

The last of the species to be born at the zoo was the twins' father, Bosco, 11 years ago. The mother is eight-year-old Minnie, who arrived in Singapore from a Japanese zoo in 2016.

Although the twins were born earlier this year, they have only recently become an attraction as the zoo was closed for months as a result of a coronavirus lockdown.

Red-ruffed lemurs are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to logging and hunting.

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