Lesser Bushbaby

Lesser bushbaby characteristics

Lesser bushbaby has brownish-grey to light grey furs. Some of the species have a yellowish mark on the sides and legs. Their color keeps them camouflaged from predators. Their eyes are large and round, and they have a dark marking around the eyes. These tiny animals have a significant long tail and big ears. The pointed nose of a bushbaby lesser remains wet all the time.

Their eyes are adapted for nocturnal vision. Their specifically designed limbs help them to climb trees easily. For their lightweight, they can easily browse through the branches of a tree.

Range & habitat

Lesser bushbabies or lesser galagos are native to Africa. They can be located in every large forest in Africa. They mostly prefer savannahs, woodlands, bushes, and forest-fringes.

Let’s have a look at the important species of the genus Galago, and know more about their range and habitat.

Somali bushbaby (Galago gallarum)

Somali bushbaby or the Somali lesser galago can be found in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. Their habitats are thorny woodlands and semi-arid thorn scrub areas.

Mohol bushbaby (Galago moholi)

Moholi bushbabies live in the mesic woodlands of southern Africa. These bushbabies are found in Angola, Botswana, Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. They are also found in Rwanda and Burundi. So, the Mohol bushbabies’ habitat is spread across a large part of Africa. They live in trees.

Senegal bushbaby (Galago senegalensis)

Senegal bushbaby also popular as the lesser galago lives in Africa south of the Sahara and the nearby islands including Zanzibar. They are mostly found in the dry woodlands and savannah regions.

Dusky bushbaby (Galago matschiei)

Dusky bushbaby is also known as Matschie’s galago. It is named after the German zoologist Paul Matschie. The dusky bushbabies are native to tropical areas of Central Africa. It can be found in the forests of Burundi, Rwanda, Congo, and Uganda. Their range is restricted to the Albertine Rift region.

Thomas’s bushbaby (Galagoides thomasi)

Thomas’s bushbaby is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. It shares its habitat with the dusky bushbabies.

You can read more about Savanna Animals here.

Diet

Galagos are mainly insectivorous animals. The needle-clawed bushbabies eat tree gums. Some of the lesser bushbabies eat small invertebrates too. They also eat leaves and fruits. Bushbabies lick dew and drink rainwater from cracks and crevices of trees.

Behavior & lifestyle

Lesser bushbabies live in trees and can leap great distances for their agile limbs. The flattened disks in a lesser bushbaby’s feet and hands help them to hold branches with a strong grip. Sometimes they are found walking on the ground. During terrestrial movements, they walk on their feet or walk on all fours.

Lesser galagos find food on their own. They roam alone to find food. However, they group up at night and sleep together during the day. In most of the cases, they form a group of 6 while sleeping. Galagos are nocturnal that’s why they sleep during the day in their nests. They build their nests with dry leaves or live in tree hollows.

Galagos have a very well-developed hearing capability. They use this ability to sense the movement of insects when they search for food. In the galagos’ world calls are very important in nature. They use their voice to communicate with the members of the family. Their calls are categorized into three groups, defensive and aggressive, social contact, and annunciatory.

Fun lesser bushbaby facts

The lesser bushbaby or the lesser galagos show some interesting features that are amazing to know about. Here is a list of “Top 5 Fun Lesser Bushbaby Facts“. Read till the end, you will definitely find it interesting.

1. The Lesser Bushbaby has a tapetum lucidum layer behind its retina. This feature improves its vision in low light. That’s why they can easily find insects at night.
2. The lesser bushbabies have a brain similar to or larger in size than most mammals.
3. The Bushbabies can move their ears independently.
4. Lesser bushbabies usually give birth to twins during the rainy season.
5. A female bushbaby lesser mates with more or less 6 different males to increase the chances of having babies.

Meet the lesser bushbaby

Here at SafarisAfricana, you can find such interesting facts about other animals too.

You can read about The Smallest Mammals In The World here.

Did you enjoy learning more about the lesser bushbaby? Have you ever met this unique creature face-to-face? Tell us about your lesser bushbaby? experience in the comment section below. Because those who care share!

References

1. Primate Info Net Galago Factsheet
2. Groves, C. P. (2005). “Genus Galago”. In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 124–126. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
3.  David Attenborough, Life of Mammals, Episode 8: Life in the Trees. BBC Warner, 2003.
4.  Dixson, Alan F. (26 January 2012). Primate Sexuality: Comparative Studies of the Prosimians, Monkeys and Apes, and Humans. Oxford University Press. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-19-150342-9. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
5.  Fleagle, John G. (1999). Primate adaptation and evolution. Academic Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-12-260341-9. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
6. “Lesser Bushbaby”. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
7. “Galago senegalensis”. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
8. Bearder, Simon (1995). “Calls of the Wild”. Natural History. 104: 48–57.
9. Covert 2002, p. 16.
10. Mittermeier, Rylands & Konstant 1999, pp. 22–24.
11. Rose, K.D. (2006). The Beginning of the Age of Mammals. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8472-6.
12. Groves, C.P. (2008). Extended Family: Long lost cousins: A personal look at the history of primatology. Conservation International. ISBN 978-1-934151-25-9.
13. Gunnell, G.F.; Rose, K.D.; Rasmussen, D.T. (2008). “Euprimates”. In Janis, C.M.; Gunnell, G.F.; Uhen, M.D. (eds.). Small Mammals, Xenarthrans, and Marine