Somali bushbaby

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Somali bushbaby [1]
Somali Lesser Galago.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Strepsirrhini
Family: Galagidae
Genus: Galago
Species:
G. gallarum
Binomial name
Galago gallarum
Thomas, 1901
Somali Bushbaby area.png
Somali bushbaby range

The Somali bushbaby (Galago gallarum), [1] or the Somali lesser galago, [3] as it is also known, is a species of nocturnal, arboreal primate in the family Galagidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. It is threatened by habitat loss. [2]

Contents

Distribution

The Somali Bushbaby is found in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. Unlike other galagos, it is endemic to the thorny woodland/scrub and semi-arid thorn scrub which covers large tracts of south-western Ethiopia, Kenya (except for the coastal strip, semi-desert region east of Lake Turkana, and area east of Lake Victoria), and in Somalia from Odweina near the Red sea southward to the border with Kenya. [3]

Taxonomy

First described by Oldfield Thomas in 1901, it was later classified as one of the many subspecies of the Senegal lesser galago Galago senegalensis. [3] T.R. Olson, in his Ph.D. thesis in 1979, [4] and his paper of 1986, [5] raised it once again to the status of a separate species, which reclassification has not been disputed by other academics. [3] [6] The Somali lesser galago is considered to be a monotypic species, i.e. no subspecies have been defined. [3]

Description

The Somali lesser galago is a medium-sized galago with overall length of adult males as 415 to 464 millimetres (16.3 to 18.3 in) and average length of 436 millimetres (17.2 in) while that of the female is 380 to 442 millimetres (15.0 to 17.4 in) with average length of 413 millimetres (16.3 in) . The average tail length is 259 millimetres (10.2 in) for males while it is 246 millimetres (9.7 in) for females. The mean hind foot length is 67 millimetres (2.6 in) for males while it is 63 millimetres (2.5 in) for females. Likewise, the mean ear lengths for male and female are 35 millimetres (1.4 in) and 34 millimetres (1.3 in) respectively. [3]

The galago's face and throat are whitish while the ears, eye-rings, muzzle and tail are black or dark brown providing a distinctive contrast. The galago has a pale belly with particolored hair, which is Grey for most of its length except for its tip which is buff in color, resulting in the galago looking sand-colored by day and grayish by night. [3]

G. gallarum is sympatric with G. senegalensis but is differentiated in the measurements of hind limb, hind foot, ear and tail-length. In the field, the general appearance, call and preferred habitat aid in discriminating between them. The Kenyan coast galago Gallagoides cocos is another species the range of which overlaps the southern margin of the Somali galago's range in Kenya and Somalia. Both these galagoes have calls distinct from that of the Somali galago and occupy moister habitats. The ears of these galagoes appear Grey and brown respectively with a pink patch visible in front of the lower ear. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galago</span> Family of mammals (primates)

Galagos, also known as bush babies, or nagapies, are small nocturnal primates native to continental, sub-Sahara Africa, and make up the family Galagidae. They are considered a sister group of the Lorisidae.

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

The Senegal bushbaby, also known as the Senegal galago, the lesser galago or the lesser bush baby, is a small, nocturnal primate, a member of the galago family Galagidae.

<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 bushbabies and the rest of the galagos, 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">Greater galago</span> Genus of primates

The greater galagos or thick-tailed bushbabies are everyday names for three species of strepsirrhine primates. They are classified in the genus Otolemur in the family Galagidae.

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

The Zanzibar bushbaby, Matundu dwarf galago, Udzungwa bushbaby, or Zanzibar galago is a primate of the family Galagidae. An adult typically weighs 150 grams (5.3 oz), its head-body length is 14 to 15 centimetres and its tail is between 12 and 15 centimetres long. Like other species of galagos, its diet consists mainly of fruit, insects, and tree gums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mantled guereza</span> Species of mammal

The mantled guereza, also known simply as the guereza, the eastern black-and-white colobus, or the Abyssinian black-and-white colobus, is a black-and-white colobus, a type of Old World monkey. It is native to much of west central and east Africa, including Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Chad. The species consists of several subspecies that differ in appearance. It has a distinctive appearance, which is alluded to in its name; the long white fringes of hair that run along each side of its black trunk are known as a mantle. Its face is framed with white hair and it has a large white tail tuft.

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

The brown greater galago, also known as the large-eared greater galago or thick-tailed galago, is a nocturnal primate, the largest in the family of galagos. As opposed to smaller galago species it would climb, walk or run rather than leap.

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

The northern greater galago, also known as Garnett's greater galago, Garnett's galago, or the small-eared greater galago, is a nocturnal, arboreal primate endemic to Africa.

<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 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">Prince Demidoff's bushbaby</span> Species of primate

Prince Demidoff's bushbaby, also known as Prince Demidoff's galago, is a species of primate in the family Galagidae. It is native to parts of tropical West and Central Africa.

<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 the southern Afrotropics. It is physically very similar to the Senegal bushbaby, and was formerly considered to be its southern race. The two species differ markedly in their biology however, and no hybrids have been recorded in captivity.

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

The Uluguru bushbaby, also known as the mountain dwarf galago or the Amani dwarf galago, is a species of primate in the family Galagidae. Like all galagos, it is a strepsirrhine primate. It is endemic to the Eastern Arc Mountains of Kenya and Tanzania at altitudes of 1,200 - 2,000 m. It has its own set of unique calls, which helps distinguish it from other species of bushbaby.

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

The Rondo dwarf galago or Rondo bushbaby is a species of primate in the family Galagidae. The dwarf galagos are the smallest members of the genus Galagoides. It weighs less than 100 grams, making it the smallest known galago. It is endemic to Tanzania where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It lives in an area reported in 2012 to be less than 100 square kilometers and is threatened by habitat loss due to logging. While it was discovered in the 1950s, the Rondo dwarf galago was deemed data deficient until 1996. In 1996, the Rondo bushbaby was fully described as a species. It is now listed as one of "The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates." In 2010, it was also added to the Zoological Society of London's list of genetically distinct and endangered mammals.

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

The Cross River bushbaby, also known as the Cross River squirrel galago, is a species 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.

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

The Malawi bushbaby is a species of primate in the family Galagidae. It lives in southern Malawi and the neighboring region in Mozambique. The IUCN considers it to be part of the species Paragalago granti, Grant's bushbaby.

The Kenya coast galago is a species of primate in the family Galagidae. It is found across Kenya and Tanzania, particularly around the northern coastal area of each of the countries, and has been located living from sea level to around 350 metres (1,150 ft) above sea level.

References

  1. 1 2 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. pp. 124–125. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  2. 1 2 de Jong, Y.A.; Butynski, T.M. (2019). "Galago gallarum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T8786A17963185. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T8786A17963185.en . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Butynski, Thomas M.; de Jong, Yvonne A. (2004). "Natural history of the Somali lesser galago (Galago gallarum)". Journal of East African Natural History. 93: 23–38. doi: 10.2982/0012-8317(2004)93[23:nhotsl]2.0.co;2 .
  4. Olson, T.R. (1979), "Studies on aspects of the morphology and systematics of the genus Otolemur", Ph.D. thesis
  5. Olson, T.R. (1986). "Species diversity and zoogeography in the family Galagidae". Primate Report. 14: 213.
  6. Groves, Colin P. (2001). Primate taxonomy. Smithsonian Institution Press. ISBN   978-1-56098-872-4 . Retrieved 6 July 2011.