Southern Lesser Galago (Galago moholi) lives in open savanna across Southern Africa. It feeds on insects and fruit. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Southern Lesser Galago
- It is biologically distinct enough from the similar Senegal bushbaby that hybridisation never occurs. The two primates were once thought to be the same species, but researchers now recognise a marked difference in their biology. Even when housed together in captivity no hybrid offspring have ever been recorded, confirming a complete reproductive barrier between them.
- It gets most of its water from its solid diet. The bushbaby's meals of insects and tree gum supply enough moisture that it can survive without drinking free water. This hygroscopic water intake lets it remain independent of external water sources even during dry periods, a useful adaptation for life in savanna and woodland habitats.
- It feeds on gum from Acacia trees, preferring sweet thorn (Acacia karroo) and umbrella thorn (Acacia tortilis). The gum is an exudate that oozes from punctures made by insects, providing a sugary food source. By exploiting these trees the bushbaby secures both nutrition and the moisture needed for its water-independent lifestyle.
- In winter it crosses the ground between gum trees, but in the wet summer it moves high in the canopy and eats far more insects. During the dry months the animal walks on the forest floor, linking the sweet thorn and umbrella thorn trees it relies on for gum. When rains arrive it switches to an arboreal lifestyle, leaping through branches and increasing its intake of invertebrates to a much higher proportion of the diet.
- It lives in small family groups, typically perched together in the thorny branches of trees. In its natural savanna, miombo and mopane woodlands the bushbaby selects Acacia and Mopane trees for resting and breeding, forming groups of two to seven individuals. These tight groups let them share the safety of dense foliage while they forage for insects and gum throughout the night.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeSouthern Africa
HabitatOpen savanna
DietInsects and fruit
About the Southern Lesser Galago
In the moonlit forests of southern Africa, the Southern Lesser Galago embarks on a nocturnal ballet, its large, round eyes shining like lanterns as it leaps with effortless grace from branch to branch. With a soft, furry coat and a tail that acts as a counterbalance, this diminutive primate navigates its arboreal world with precision, its delicate fingers grasping for handhelds as it pursues a insect-rich feast. As it moves, the galago's huge eyes drink in every detail of its surroundings, rendering it a master of the shadows, a tiny, agile monarch of the night.
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