Cross River bushbaby

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Cross River bushbaby [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Strepsirrhini
Family: Galagidae
Genus: Sciurocheirus
Species:
S. alleni
Subspecies:
S. a. cameronensis
Trinomial name
Sciurocheirus alleni cameronensis
(Peters, 1876) [3]
Bioko Allen's Bushbaby area.png
Map showing range of Cross River bushbaby on the mainland and Allen's bushbaby on Bioko

The Cross River bushbaby, also known as the Cross River squirrel galago, (Sciurocheirus alleni cameronensis) is a subspecies of prosimian primate in the family Galagidae which is endemic to a restricted area of West Africa. It is one of four species of squirrel galago in the genus Sciurocheirus .

Contents

Description

The Cross River bushbaby is a medium-sized bushbaby with little noticeable sexual dimorphism, except that the males may be slightly larger than the females. They have a prominent snout with a pale grey stripe on the nose which broadens out on to the forehead. The fur on the animal's underparts is whitish or grey and this extends onto the inside of the legs and the cheeks. It has black rings surrounding the large, round, chocolate brown eyes which meet between the eyes to form a face mask. It has naked ears, which are black in colour with some times have a pale grey ring at their base. The dorsal fur is generally brown grizzled with grey except that the shoulders, flanks and outer forelimbs are rufous. It has greyish black palms on the hands and soles on the feet. The long tail, which is a fifth longer than the body, is bushy along its length and is coloured dark grey to black, and sometimes has a white tip. Individual variation occurs in the extent of rufous on the anterior dorsal fur, tail colour and the face mask. The weight varies from 220g=355g. [4]

Distribution

The Cross River bushbaby is endemic to a restricted area in West Africa from the Niger River through South-eastern Nigeria to the Sanaga River in central Cameroon. [4] It is recorded from the Cross River National Park in Nigeria, as well as from Ebo Wildlife Reserve, Korup National Park and Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary in Cameroon. [2]

Habitat

The Cross River bush baby occurs on high rainfall, primary tropical rainforest, both lowland and montane, up to an altitude of 2000m. It occurs in well developed secondary forest with an understorey which is relatively open and will use plantations for foraging in. [4]

Habits

The Cross River bushbaby is a nocturnal, arboreal animal but it will occasionally forage on the ground, where it hunts for fallen fruit and invertebrates. They are agile leapers and jump from tree to tree, preferring to use vertical limbs or trunks as supports. It usually forages quite close to the ground, normally within 5m, but has been seen up to 15m from the ground. It often sits in the trees above swarming ants to catch the invertebrates escaping the swarm. During the day it roosts in tangles of lianas and young may be left in these while the mother is foraging. [4] They are territorial with both sexes holding territories with home ranges of just under 3ha. [5]

They are normally solitary but 2-3 individuals may associate and move around together, 2-7 female territories may lie within or overlap with a single male's territory. Some adult females may share sleeping sites and these are more likely to associate with each other while foraging. Young females remain in their mother's territory until they are sexually mature. Mating may last up to an hour and is preceded by the marking of the substrate with urine by both sexes. The females carry the normally single young in their mouths for 45 days. Breeding occurs throughout the year. [4]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser bushbaby</span> Genus of primates

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. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown greater galago</span> Species of primate

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern needle-clawed bushbaby</span> Species of primate

The southern needle-clawed bushbaby is a species of strepsirrhine primate in the family Galagidae. Found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, and possibly Democratic Republic of the Congo, its natural habitat is tropical moist forests. While the species is not threatened or endangered, some local populations may be threatened by habitat destruction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern needle-clawed bushbaby</span> Species of primate

The northern needle-clawed bushbaby is a species of strepsirrhine primate in the family Galagidae. It is found in the coastal region of Cameroon and Nigeria, and on the island of Bioko, Equatorial Guinea in lower-elevation forests that provide its specialized diet of tree gum and resins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bioko Allen's bushbaby</span> Species of primate

Bioko Allen's bushbaby, also known as the Bioko squirrel galago, is a species of primate in the galago family found in Cameroon, Nigeria, and the island of Bioko, Equatorial Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. The bushbaby is currently near-threatened, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant's bushbaby</span> Species of primate

Grant's bushbaby, also known as Grant's lesser bushbaby or the Mozambique lesser bushbaby, is a species of primate in the family Galagidae. It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dusky bushbaby</span> Species of primate

The dusky bushbaby is a species of primate in the family Galagidae. It is also known as Matschie's galago, in honour of the German zoologist Paul Matschie, curator of mammals at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin. Native to tropical Central Africa, it is found in forests in Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The species is small with a long tail, and has an arboreal, nocturnal and omnivorous lifestyle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohol bushbaby</span> Species of primate

The Mohol bushbaby is a species of primate in the family Galagidae which is native to mesic woodlands of southern Africa. It is physically very similar to the Senegal bushbaby, and was formerly considered to be its southern variety. The two species differ markedly in their biology however, and no hybrids have been recorded in captivity.

Thomas's rope squirrel or redless tree squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Burton's rope squirrel</span> Species of rodent native to central Africa

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zanj sun squirrel</span> Species of rodent

The Zanj sun squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae found in eastern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabon bushbaby</span> Species of primate

The Gabon bushbaby is a species of primate in the family Galagidae found in Cameroon, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo. Its head and body length is 8.5 in with a 10-in tail, and it weighs about 10 oz. It lives in evergreen tropical rainforests and eats primarily fallen fruit, but also some arthropods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osman Hill's mangabey</span> Subspecies of Old World monkey

The Osman Hill's mangabey, also known as the rusty-mantled mangabey, is a subspecies of the grey-cheeked mangabey, a crested mangabey in the family Cercopithecidae, with a restricted distribution in West Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squirrel galago</span> Species of primate

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References

  1. ↑ Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 124. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  2. 1 2 Oates, J.F.; Bearder, S. (2008). "Sciurocheirus alleni ssp. cameronensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2008: e.T136854A4347206. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  3. ↑ "Sciurocheirus cameronensis (Peters, 1876)". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 2016-11-22.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Jonathan Kingdon; David Happold; Thomas Butynski; Michael Hoffmann; Meredith Happold; Jan Kalina (2013). Mammals of Africa Volumes 1-6. A&C Black. pp. 418–420. ISBN   978-1408189962.
  5. ↑ Elizabeth R. Pimley; Simon K. Bearder; Alan F. Dixson (2005). "Home Range Analysis of Perodicticus potto edwardsi and Sciurocheirus cameronensis". International Journal of Primatology. 26: 191. doi:10.1007/s10764-005-0730-1. S2CID   39193956.
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