Galago
| Galagidae[1] | |
|---|---|
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| Brown greater galago (Otolemur crassicaudatus) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Strepsirrhini |
| Superfamily: | Lorisoidea |
| Family: | Galagidae Gray, 1825 |
| Type genus | |
Galago
, 1796 | |
| Genera | |
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Galagos
According to some accounts, the name "bush baby" comes from either the animal's cries or its appearance. The Ghanaian name aposor is given to them because of their firm grip on branches.[citation needed]
In both variety and abundance, the bush babies are the most successful
Taxonomic classification and phylogeny
Galagos are currently grouped into six genera.
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Family Galagidae - galagos, or bushbabies
- Genus Euoticus, needle-clawed bushbabies[4]
- Southern needle-clawed bushbaby, E. elegantulus
- Northern needle-clawed bushbaby, E. pallidus
- Genus Galago, lesser galagos, or lesser bushbabies
- Galago senegalensis group
- Somali bushbaby, G. gallarum
- Mohol bushbaby, G. moholi
- Senegal bushbaby, G. senegalensis
- Galago matschiei group
- Dusky bushbaby, G. matschiei
- Galago senegalensis group
- Genus Galagoides, western dwarf galagos[6]
- Prince Demidoff's bushbaby, Gs. demidovii
- Angolan dwarf galago, Gs. kumbirensis
- Thomas's bushbaby, Gs. thomasi
- Genus †Laetolia
- †Laetolia sadimanensis[7]
- †
- Genus Otolemur, greater galagos, or thick-tailed bushbabies
- Brown greater galago, O. crassicaudatus
- Northern greater galago, O. garnettii
- Silvery greater galago, O. monteiri
- Genus Paragalago, eastern dwarf galagos[6]
- Paragalago zanzibaricus group
- Kenya coast galago, P. cocos
- Grant's bushbaby, P. granti
- Zanzibar bushbaby, P. zanzibaricus
- Paragalago orinus group
- Uluguru bushbaby, P. orinus
- Rondo bushbaby, P. rondoensis
- Paragalago zanzibaricus group
- Genus Sciurocheirus, squirrel galagos
- Bioko Allen's bushbaby, S. alleni
- Cross River bushbaby, S. cameronensis
- Gabon bushbaby, S. gabonensis
- Makandé squirrel galago, S. makandensis
The phylogeny of Galagidae according to Masters et al., 2017 is as follows:[6]
| Galagidae |
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Characteristics
Galagos have large eyes that give them good night vision in addition to other characteristics, like strong hind limbs, acute
After a gestation period of 110–133 days, young galagos are born with half-closed eyes and are initially unable to move about independently. After a few (6–8) days, the mother carries the infant in her mouth, and places it on branches while feeding. Females may have singles, twins, or triplets, and may become very aggressive. Each newborn weighs less than one-half ounce (14 g). For the first three days, the infant is kept in constant contact with the mother. The young are fed by the mother for six weeks and can feed themselves at two months. The young grow rapidly, often causing the mother to walk awkwardly as she transports them.[3]
Females maintain a territory shared with their offspring, while males leave their mothers' territories after puberty. Thus social groups consist of closely related females and their young. Adult males maintain separate territories, which overlap with those of the female social groups; generally, one adult male mates with all the females in an area. Males that have not established such territories sometimes form small bachelor groups.[8]
Bush-babies are sometimes kept as pets, although this is not advised because, like many other nonhuman primates, they are a likely sources of
Galagos communicate by calling to each other and by marking their paths with urine. By following the scent of urine, they can land on exactly the same branch every time.[3] Each species produces a unique set of loud calls that have different functions. One function is to identify individuals as members of a particular species across distances. Scientists can recognize all known galago species by their 'loud calls'.[10] At the end of the night, group members use a special rallying call and gather to sleep in a nest of leaves, a group of branches, or a hole in a tree.
Jumping
Galagos have remarkable jumping abilities. The highest reliably reported jump for a galago is 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in).[11] According to a study published by the Royal Society, given the body mass of each animal and the fact that the leg muscles amount to about 25% of this, galago's jumping muscles should perform six to nine times better than those of a frog.[12] This is thought to be due to elastic energy storage in tendons of the lower leg, allowing far greater jumps than would otherwise be possible for an animal of their size.[12] In mid-flight, they tuck their arms and legs close to the body; they bring them out at the last second to grab a branch. In a series of leaps, a galago can cover ten yards in mere seconds. The tail, which is longer than the length of the head and body combined, assists the legs in powering the jumps. They may also hop like a kangaroo or simply run or walk on four legs.[3] Such strong, complicated, and coordinated movements are due to the rostral half of the posterior parietal cortex that is linked to the motor, premotor, and visuomotor areas of the frontal cortex.[13][14]
Behaviour
Generally, the social structure of the galago has components of both social life and solitary life. This can be seen in their play. They swing off branches or climb high and throw things. Social play includes play fights, play grooming, and following-play. During following-play, two galagos jump sporadically and chase each other through the trees. The older galagos in a group prefer to rest alone, while younger ones are in constant contact with one another.[15] This is observed in the Galago garnetti species. Mothers often leave infants alone for long periods and do not try to stop them from leaving. On the other hand, the offspring tries to stay close to, and initiate social interactions with the mother.[16]
Grooming is a very important part of galago daily life. They often groom themselves before, during, and after rest. Social grooming is done more often by males in the group. Females often reject attempts by males to groom them.[15]
Relationship with humans
The bush baby also refers to a myth that is used to scare children to stay indoors at night.[17] Most likely arising from the baby-like cry,[18] the unusual nature evolved into a myth about a powerful animal that can kidnap humans. It is also said that wild bush babies/galagos in Nigeria can never be found dead on plain ground. Rather, they make a nest of sticks, leaves or branches to die in. Endangerment of the species in sub-Saharan Africa has made this claim difficult to verify.
References
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ "Bush babies". National Geographic. 19 November 2019. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "African Wildlife Foundation: Bush Baby". Awf.org. 20 June 2012. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
- ^ PMID 24694188.
- PMID 21436896.
- ^ hdl:2318/1618044.
- ^ Harrison, Terry, ed. (2011). Paleontology and Geology of Laetoli: Human evolution in Context. Volume 2: Fossil Hominins and the Associated Fauna. Springer. p. 75.
- ^ ISBN 0-87196-871-1.
- ^ "The Life Spans of Nonhuman Primates". Primate Information Network.
- S2CID 85113522.
- ISSN 0370-2774.
- ^ PMC 1692381.
- PMID 15772167.
- PMID 33550608.
- ^ a b Witt, Cornelia (September 1982). "Preliminary observations on the social behaviour of the greater galago, Galago agisymbanus Coquerel, 1859, in captivity". Anthropologischer Anzeiger: 193–203.
- JSTOR 1382168.
- ^ Onyeakagbu, Adaobi (19 July 2018). "Horrifying myths and legends from across the continent". Pulse. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
- ^ "Scary Nigerian Urban Legends- Bush Baby". The Stoic by Edwin Madu. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
External links
