SCIENTIFIC NAME:

Galago is the general name for the family Galagonidae which consists of eleven species in four genera; Euoticus, Galago, Galagoides and Otolemur. Best known is genus Galago, which has five species, G. alleni, G. gallarum, G. matschiei, G. moholi and G. senegalensis. Type species of the genus is G. senegalensis.

COMMON NAMES:

As a group: galagos, bushbabies, night apes. Some of the more common species; Galago senegalensis: Senegalese or lesser bushbaby. Galagoides demidovii: Demidoff's dwarf galago. Otolemur crassicaudatus: thick-tailed bushbaby. Euoticus elegantulus: western needle-clawed bushbaby.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTORS:

Galagos range from Galagoides demidovii's 12 - 16 cm body plus 18 - 20 cm tail to the Otolemur crassicaudatus' 30 -37 cm body plus 42 - 47 cm tail. The most common is Galago senegalensis with a 20 cm body and a 25 cm tail, weight 500 g. Dental formula for Galagonidae is i 2/2, c1/1, pm 3/3, m 3/3 x 2 = 36. Fur is soft, dense and woolly, coloration ranging from silver gray to brown. They have very large eyes typical of nocturnal animals. Genus Galago have large ears with four transverse ridges and can be independently or simultaneously bent back and wrinkled downward from the tips. This frequent furling and unfurling produces a quizzical expression characteristic of the genus.

GEOGRAPHY:

Range varies with species but includes most of the forested and bush regions of Africa south of the Sahara including some of the nearby islands such as Zanzibar. Their range does not extend to Madagascar.

HABITAT:

Galagos are all arboreal and known for their ability to leap great distances among branches.

FOOD:

Galagos are omnivorous but primarily insectivorous. Their favorite food is grasshoppers, but they also eat small birds, eggs, fruits, seeds and flowers. Euoticus has specialized front teeth for removing tree bark so it can feed on tree gum.

POPULATION STRUCTURE:

Galagos typically feed at night alone or in small groups. During the day they sleep together in larger groups in nests made in tree forks, hollow trees or old bird nests.

REPRODUCTIVE STRATEGY:

In Galago senegalensis, which are typical of the family, females give birth to one or two young between April and November after a gestation period of 110 to 120 days. The mother prepares a nest for her young before birth. For the first two weeks of their life the young cling tightly to the mother's fur. After about two weeks they start to walk and make short leaps. The young start to eat solid food at about one month but continue to nurse until about three and one-half months. They live around ten years.

CURRENT CONDITIONS:

Other then general lost of habitat due to land being cleared for farming and grazing there is no information on current conditions. No Galagoidae are listed in the 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

REFERENCES:

Walker, Ernest P. MAMMALS OF THE WORLD (The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore1968) ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA (Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc, Chicago1983) SIMON & SCHUSTER'S GUIDE TO MAMMALS (Simon and Schuster, New York 1982) THE NEW LAROUSSE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ANIMAL LIFE (Bonanza Books, New York1967) THE NEW GROLIER MULTIMEDIA ENCYCLOPEDIA (Grolier Electronic Publishing1993)

ENDANGERED AND THREATENED PRIMATES from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Cambridge, U. K. 1994 Red List of Threatened Animals.

TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION: ORDER PRIMATES from the American Museum of Natural History.

TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION: ORDER PRIMATES from the American Museum of Natural History. Return to the 1st Primate page

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