Lesser Bushbaby (Galago moholi)

Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family:    Galigonidae
Size:    Length: 6 to 6.5 inches (15 to 16.8 cm)
Weight: 5 to 8 ounces (140 to 230 g)
Diet: Mostly insects such as grasshoppers, beetles, butterflies and moths, but also fruit, seeds and flowers
Distribution: Central Southern Africa
Young:  1 or 2 young every 4 to 8 months
Animal Predators:  Birds of prey
IUCN Status: No special status 
Terms: No special terms
Lifespan: 3 to 4 years in the wild, 10 to 15 years in captivity 

 

Facts/Trivia:

·       Bushbabies are also called galagos. 

·       Bushbabies hop like kangaroos while on the ground.

·       Dwarf bushbabies are the same size as lesser bushbabies but weigh less.

 

Description

These tiny animals have soft, thick fur. Their fur is grey or light brown and their large eyes are orange. 

 

Habitat

They live in woodlands and the edges of forests. 

 

Feeding Habits

Lesser bushbabies eat mostly insects, such as grasshoppers, caterpillars, butterflies, beetles, moths and more, but also vegetation such as fruit, flowers, leaves and tree sap. 

 

Reproduction

Lesser bushbabies mate every four to eight months and gestation lasts approximately four months. Females give birth alone in a nest made of leaves. Newborns are fully furred and can see at birth, but move awkwardly. Mothers carry their babies in their mouths for the first 50 days of their lives.  

 

Behaviour

Bushbabies are active at night. During the day they sleep in tree hollows. They live in groups of up to five individuals. When confronted by danger, they make huge leaps (up to 8 metres/8.7 yards) to get away. 

 

Conservation

Lesser bushbabies are not considered a conservation risk at this time. 

 

Sources

All the World’s Animals: Primates. Torstar Books, 1985

Life Nature Library: The Primates, Time-Life Books, 1980 

A Complete Guide to Monkeys, Apes and other Primates, Michael Kavanagh, Oregon Press Limited, 1983

http://www.duke.edu/web/primate/lesserbb.html

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~neils/africa/bushbaby3.htm

http://www.szgdocent.org/pp/p-galago.htm

http://www.google.ca/search?q=cache:Jdno81lBn7cC:www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/329.shtml+Galago+moholi&hl=en&ie=UTF8