Lesser African Bushbaby

       

     

 

We no longer have the bushbabies, but they will always be close to our heart. So very rare and precious.

Bushbaby
 
leaping bushbabybushbaby
Bush babies are strictly nocturnal, so hard to see.

 They live in trees and feed on insects, fruit and tree sap. It makes a loud crying sound - like a baby!



 

More on Lesser Bushbabies

 

Order: Primates

SubOrder: Prosimii

Family: Glagonidae
Genus:
Galago
Species:
moholi
 

Lesser Bushbaby

Related Species/Forms:
There are several species of bushbaby all classified in the genera Galago, Galagoides and Otolemur, including the brown bushbaby
(Otolemur garnetti), also found at the Duke Primate Center.


Key Facts:

  • Size: About the size of a small chipmunk
    Length: Head and body 6 - 6.5 inches (15 - 16.8cm), tail 4 - 11 inches (11 - 28cm)
    Weight: 5 - 8 oz (140 - 230 g)
    Coloration: Coat is gray with yellow-tinged underparts.
    Natural Range: Central Southern Africa.


     
  • Lifestyle:
    Social life: Nocturnal.forager, lives in groups of 1 - 3 individuals
    Habitat: Semiarid Acacia woodland, savanna, forest edge
    Diet: Gum and animal prey, including butterflies, moths, and beetles.
    Lifespan: 16 years

     
  • Reproduction:
    Sexual maturity: 9 - 12 months
    Mating: Every 4 - 8 months
    Gestation: 123.5 days
    Number of young: 1 - 2 offspring every 4 - 8 months


     
  • Reproduction:

    In the wild, lesser bushbabies mate every 4 - 8 months, giving birth to a single offspring first, and twins thereafter. Females ‘park’ their infants in constructed nests while they search for food, moving them away from danger by carrying them in their mouths.

     

    Social Life:

    Lesser bushbabies live in groups of 1 - 3 individuals. Males defend territories that overlap those of 1 - 5 females. Groups forage throughout the night and return to tree hollows to sleep during the day.

     

    Habitat:

    Lesser bushbabies are found throughout Central Southern Africa.

    CONSERVATION CONCERNS

    Population estimates in the wild are unknown. The species is believed to be threatened by habitat loss throughout its range. The Duke Primate Center currently houses a colony of 5 lesser bushbabies, all of which were born in captivity.

     

    DID YOU KNOW?

    • Bushbabies are active at night.
    • Lesser bushbabies sleep in tree hollows.
    • Lesser bushbabies communicate territory by scent marking.
    • Lesser bushbabies at the Duke Primate Center are named after trees: Crabapple, Chestnut, Marbleberry, etc.


       Bushbaby Links
     


    Duke University Primate Center (DUPC):
    Lesser Bushbaby:
    www.duke.edu/web/primate/lesserbb.html
    Brown Bushbaby:
    www.duke.edu/web/primate/brownbb.html

    Anthropology at College of the Siskiyous:
    Galago (the Bushbaby family):
    www.snowcrest.net/goehring/a2/primates/galago.htm

    AfricaNet:
    Bushbaby:
    wildnetafrica.co.za/wildlifearticles/zoologic/1997/bushbaby.html

    Virtual Safari:
    Bushbaby:
    home.san.rr.com/surfari/animals/primates/bushbaby.html

    Oxford Brookes University:
    Article on new Bushbaby species:
    www.brookes.ac.uk/brookes/review/eleven.html

    Chaffee Zoo (Fresno):
    Lesser Bush Baby:
    www.chaffeezoo.org/animals/bushbaby.html


    Primate Info Net - Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center - University of Wisconsin - Madison:


    Karibu Southern Africa Safari:
    Lesser Bushbaby pictures and info:
    home.vicnet.net.au/~neils/africa/bushbaby.htm


    DarlingPlum: an 'adopted' Bushbaby @ DUPC (w/ photo):
    www.speakeasy.org/~delores/lemur/bushbaby.html




     Linda LaFrentz

    903-389-5339

        mailto:critterhouse@hotmail.com

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