About Galago senegalensis É.Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1796
Galago senegalensis, commonly called the Senegal bushbaby, Senegal galago, lesser galago, or lesser bush baby, is a small nocturnal primate belonging to the galago family Galagidae. The common name "bush baby" is thought to originate either from the species' cries or from its appearance. This species is an agile leaper and runs swiftly along tree branches. Its range covers Africa south of the Sahara, as well as nearby islands including Zanzibar, and it typically inhabits dry woodland and savannah regions. It is a small primate, measuring around 130 mm in length and weighing 95 to 300 grams, with thick, woolly fur that ranges in color from silvery grey to dark brown. It has large eyes that support strong night vision, strong hind limbs, and a long tail that aids with balance. Its ears have four individual segments that can each bend back independently, improving hearing while it hunts insects at night. It is omnivorous, with a diet that includes small animals such as birds and insects, plus fruit, seeds, flowers, eggs, nuts, and tree gums. Senegal bushbabies reproduce twice each year, once at the start of the rainy season in November and once at the end of the rainy season in February. The species is polygynous; females build leaf nests to raise their young. Litters contain 1 to 2 offspring, and the gestation period lasts 110 to 120 days. Newborn bushbabies are born with half-closed eyes and cannot move independently. After a few days, the mother carries her infant in her mouth, and leaves the infant on a convenient branch while she feeds. Adult females maintain individual territories, but share these territories with their offspring. Males leave their mother's territory after reaching puberty, while females stay, forming social groups made up of closely related females and their immature young. Adult males hold separate territories that overlap with the territories of female social groups; usually, a single adult male mates with all the females in a given area. Males that have not established their own territories sometimes form small bachelor groups. Senegal bushbabies communicate with one another through calls and by marking their paths with urine. At the end of each night, all members of a group use a specific rallying call to gather before sleeping together in a leaf nest, a cluster of branches, or a tree hollow.
