Eastern dwarf galago

Paragalago
Juvenile Grant's bushbaby (P. granti)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Strepsirrhini
Family:	Galagidae
Genus:	Paragalago Masters et al., 2017
Type species
Galago zanzibaricus Matschie, 1893
Species
Paragalago cocos Paragalago granti Paragalago orinus Paragalago rondoensis Paragalago zanzibaricus

The eastern dwarf galagos are a group of five species of strepsirrhine primates of the family Galagidae, native to East Africa. ^[1] They were formerly classified in the genus Galagoides but have been moved to their own genus, Paragalago, based on genetic evidence, and supported by differences in vocalizations and morphology. ^[2] The three western/Congolian species remain in Galagoides.

The two genera are not sister taxa and thus apparently evolved their small sizes and some morphological similarities via parallel evolution, although members of the eastern group tend to be larger. They are separated by the East African Rift. Paragalago is actually sister to the genus of 'lesser galagos', Galago , which are similar in size. ^[2] There is limited sympatry between Paragalago and the much more widely distributed Galago. Paragalago members range in mass from 60 to 250 g (2.1 to 8.8 oz), considered small to medium-sized among galagids. ^[2]

All five species have been evaluated by the IUCN. P. orinus is considered to be vulnerable, P. rondoensis to be endangered, P. zanzibaricus is listed as near threatened, while P. cocos and P. granti are of least concern.

The Taita mountain dwarf galago, found in the Taita Hills, is unclassified. ^[3] Based on vocalizations, it may be the Kenya coast galago. These dwarf galagos are present in very small forest fragments and are in immediate danger of extinction.

Paragalago species

Genus Paragalago – Masters et al., 2017 – five species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Grant's bushbaby	P. granti (Thomas & Wroughton, 1907)	Southeastern Africa	Size: 14–19 cm (6–7 in) long, plus 20–27 cm (8–11 in) tail [4] Habitat: Forest [5] Diet: Invertebrates, fruit, gum, and flowers, as well as small birds [5]	LC  Unknown [5]
Kenya coast galago	P. cocos (Heller, 1912)	Southeastern Africa	Size: 14–19 cm (6–7 in) long, plus 18–23 cm (7–9 in) tail [4] Habitat: Forest [6] Diet: Insects and fruit [7]	LC  Unknown [6]
Rondo dwarf galago	P. rondoensis (Honess, 1997)	Scattered Tanzania in southeastern Africa	Size: 10–13 cm (4–5 in) long, plus 17–18 cm (7 in) tail [7] Habitat: Forest [8] Diet: Insects, as well as fruit and gum [7]	EN  Unknown [8]
Uluguru bushbaby	P. orinus (Lawrence & Washburn, 1936)	Southeastern Africa	Size: 12–14 cm (5–6 in) long, plus 16–20 cm (6–8 in) tail [4] Habitat: Forest [9] Diet: Gum, nectar, invertebrates, and small vertebrates [4]	VU  Unknown [9]
Zanzibar bushbaby	P. zanzibaricus (Matschie, 1893) Two subspecies P. z. udzungwensis (Udzungwa bushbaby) P. z. zanzibaricus (Zanzibar bushbaby)	Scattered Tanzania	Size: 14–15 cm (6–6 in) long, plus 12–15 cm (5–6 in) tail [10] Habitat: Forest [11] Diet: Fruit, insects, and gum [10]	NT  Unknown [11]

References

1. Penna, Anna; Pozzi, Luca (2024-05-06). "Hidden in the Dark: A Review of Galagid Systematics and Phylogenetics". International Journal of Primatology. doi:10.1007/s10764-024-00430-w . Retrieved 2025-08-21.
2. Masters, J.C.; Génin, F.; Couette, S.; Groves, C.P.; Nash, S.D.; Delpero, M.; Pozzi, L. (2017). "A new genus for the eastern dwarf galagos (Primates: Galagidae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 181 (1): 229–241. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlw028. hdl: 2318/1618044 .
3. Rosti, H.; Rikkinen, J.; Pellikka, P.; Bearder, S.; Mwamodenyi, J.M. (2020). "Taita Mountain dwarf galago is extant in the Taita Hills of Kenya". Oryx. 54 (2): 152–153. doi: 10.1017/S003060531900142X . hdl: 10138/325003 .
4. Kingdon, ch. Galagos
5. de Jong, Y. A.; Butynski, T. M.; Perkin, A. (2019). "Paragalago granti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T91970347A17962454. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T91970347A17962454.en .
6. Butynski, T. M.; de Jong, Y. A. (2019). "Paragalago cocos". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T136212A17963050. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T136212A17963050.en .
7. Stuart; Stuart, ch. Galagos
8. Perkin, A. (2020). "Paragalago rondoensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T40652A17962115. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T40652A17962115.en .
9. Perkin, A. (2021) [amended version of 2020 assessment]. "Paragalago orinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T40651A190242954. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T40651A190242954.en .
10. Satovsky, Ryan (2006). "Galago zanzibaricus". Animal Diversity Web . University of Michigan . Retrieved June 25, 2023.
11. Perkin, A.; Butynski, T. M.; de Jong, Y. A. (2020) [errata version of 2020 assessment]. "Paragalago zanzibaricus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T8790A179843811. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T8790A179843811.en .

Sources

• Kingdon, Jonathan (2020). The Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN   978-1-4729-8320-6.
• Stuart, Chris; Stuart, Mathilde (2017). Stuarts' Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Africa (4th ed.). Penguin Random House South Africa. ISBN   978-1-77584-276-7.

External links

• More information about dwarf galagos of Taita Hills, Kenya on website animalstaita.com