Bushbaby

Today we will talk about a very small creature Bushbaby as we know we tell you about different types of animals. This little creature is overflowing with cuteness. The biggest thing about this monster is that their eyes appear to be protruding outward in size. Scroll below to know more about them. 

 Bushbaby

• Primates called “bush infants” are found in Africa. Galagos, nagapies, and lesser bush infants are other names for them. The most distinguishing aspect of the galagos is its enormous, saucer-shaped eyes.
• With black pupils, their eyes are red or brown. These creatures can search for prey at night thanks to their ability to see in the dark.
• Their ears are big and may move separately from one another. These creatures have exceptional hearing, which is not unexpected. Even the sound of insects buzzing or flitting around is audible to them.
• They can spring into the air to catch flies and other insects by using their powerful hind legs and thick, hair-covered tail. They can balance on tree branches thanks to their tail.

Scientific Name

Galago senegalensis 

History

• East Africa, from southern Sudan to eastern South Africa and southern Angola, is home to the thick-tailed galago, also known as the Bushbaby.
• Only six species were acknowledged before 1974, but a study conducted in 1995 revealed that 17 species in Africa need recognition. 

Physical Characteristics

Size

• The largest galago species is the thick-tailed Bushbaby.
• The dimensions of the head, body, and tail range from 297 to 373mm and 415 to 473mm, respectively.
• Body size differs depending on gender, with males being noticeably bigger than females.

Color

• They have large eyes and ears, long hind legs, soft, woolly fur, and long tails.
• They are gray, brown, or reddish to yellowish brown.

Behavior

Feeding Behavior 

• Typically, family groupings of two to seven bush infants will spend the day cuddled up in their hole before splintering off at night to search for food.
• They consume fruit, insects, tree gum, and occasionally small animals as omnivores.
• In the wild, bush babies can live for up to 16 years.

Nocturnal Behavior

• Primates called “bush infants” are found in Africa.
• Galagos, nagapies, and lesser bush infants are other names for them.
• Bushbaby are nocturnal and spend most of their time in the canopy, or uppermost branches of the trees. 

Food & Diet

• Bushbaby are omnivores in nature.
• It consumes fruit, insects, and gum that certain tree species drip out.
• Even smaller creatures like frogs and birds will be hunted by some of the larger galago species.
• At the Tulsa Zoo in Oklahoma, a thick-tailed greater galago, Otolemur crassicaudatus, displays its remarkable tail.

Lifespan

• In captivity, they live for about 10 years, but in the wild, they probably only survive for 3 to 4 years.

Habitat

• They reside on the African continent.
• In sub-Saharan Africa, some bush babies reside in the forests, while others call the savanna their home.
• Galagos can be found in tropical forests, including the brown greater galago.
• The Somali galago, on the other hand, dwells in areas covered in brush and trees.
• Galagos do not move around. However, they occasionally travel only a short distance in search of a location with more insects and other prey to eat.
• Or a mother bush baby can make a little trip in search of a place to build a nest for her young.

Range 

• These little primates can be found in sub-Saharan Africa’s forests and bushlands as well as all of East Africa.
• They may be one of the most common galago species (bush baby species).
• Typically, they don’t live in places that are higher than 1,980 meters (6,500 feet).

Reproduction & Life Cycle

• Bushbaby give birth twice a year, at the start of the rainy season in November and the conclusion in February.
• During and immediately before the breeding seasons, male bush infants often put on weight and have larger testicles.

Bushbaby Predators

• Mongooses, genets, jackals, house dogs, house cats, owls, and snakes are some examples of predators.
• Blue monkeys and grey-cheeked mangabeys are two more primates that have been seen devouring bush infants.

Prey

• They mostly hunt frogs and birds. 

Bushbaby As a Pet

• Even though having native animals is prohibited in South Africa, maintaining Senegal bush babies (Galago senegalensis), a lesser bush baby species that is the most popular lorisoid (or nocturnal prosimian) in zoos, is sometimes held as a pet in other nations like Japan and frequently in Africa.

Care They Need

• When it comes to housing, bigger is preferable for all primates.
• Due to the size of bush babies, owners can “get away with” a large macaw cage as long as they provide lots of outside playing to make up for it.
• Bush babies can also be kept outside in roomy aviary-style habitats.
• These cages shouldn’t be able to be opened from the inside because, given enough time, these cunning monkeys might find out how to get out.
• Keepers typically want to provide their primates with a diversified diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, and primate chow.
• Acacia gum, nectar, live crickets, cat food, seeds, chicks, mice, monkey biscuits, and other diets designed specifically for primates are among these dietary items.

Bushbaby Price

• As of 2020, the average price of a bigger bush baby in the US is $4000 or more.
• Their price has progressively increased over the years due to the rarity of exotic pets, and that tendency is most likely to continue.

Population 

• Unknown is the precise population of the lesser galago.
• However, their conservation status is listed as Least Concern with a declining population on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Lesser Bushbaby

• One of the tiniest primates, the lesser galago, also known as the lesser bush baby.
• It is approximately the size of a squirrel.
• Their adorable looks and empathetic screams may have given rise to the appellation “bush baby.”
• They can track bug prey in the dark thanks to their delicate, bat-like ears and huge, spherical eyes, which have excellent night vision.
• They flatten their ears flat against their heads when they jump through thorny bushes or dense vegetation to shield them. Even as they are resting, they fold.

Fun Facts 

• A Bushbaby large eyes enable it to perceive in complete darkness and low light.
• A human baby’s cry and a nagapie’s cry are quite similar in sound.
• On the market for exotic pets, some galagos are offered for expensive prices.
• They consume the gum that seeps from particular species of trees.

Reference Link

• https://g.co/kgs/95hfrS

Bushbaby-FAQ