| Galago[1] | |
|---|---|
| |
| Senegal bushbaby (G. senegalensis) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Strepsirrhini |
| Family: | Galagidae |
| Genus: | Galago É. Geoffroy, 1796 |
| Type species | |
| Galago senegalensis É. Geoffroy, 1796
| |
| Species | |
|
Galago gallarum | |
Lesser bushbabies, or lesser galagos, are strepsirrhine primates of the genus Galago. They are classified, along with the other bushbaby and galago genera in the family Galagidae.[1] They are probably the most numerous primate in Africa, and can be found in every large forest on the continent, inhabiting forested areas, savannas, riverine bush and open woodlands.[2][3]
They mark their territory by urinating on their hands and leaving traces on the trees they climb across, and they follow these detectable paths through the trees night after night. Males will also urinate on females to mark them. They are related to lorises, and have similar behavior and anatomy. They are much faster, however, and typically hunt by speed rather than by stealth.[2] Primitive bushbabies are thought to have been the ancestors of all lemurs.[2]
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b c David Attenborough, Life of Mammals, Episode 8: Life in the Trees. BBC Warner, 2003.
- ^ Abrams, Sylvie (November 2016). "Lesser Galago". New England Primate Conservatory. Archived from the original on 2020-10-26. Retrieved 2020-10-23.