Editing Galago (section)

== Characteristics ==

Galagos have large eyes, allowing them good night vision, in addition to other characteristics, like strong hind limbs, acute [[Hearing (sense)|hearing]], and long tails that help them balance. Their ears are bat-like and allow them to track insects in the dark. They catch insects on the ground or snatch them out of the air. They are fast, agile creatures. As they bound through the thick bushes, they fold their delicate ears back to protect them. They also fold them during rest.<ref name="African Wildlife Foundation"/> They have nails on most of their digits, except for the second toe of the hind foot, which bears a [[grooming claw]]. Their diet is a mixture of insects and other small animals, fruit, and tree gums.<ref name=EoM>{{cite book|editor=Macdonald, D.|author=Charles-Dominique, Pierre|year=1984|title=The Encyclopedia of Mammals|publisher=Facts on File|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma00mals_0/page/332 332–337]|isbn=0-87196-871-1|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma00mals_0/page/332}}</ref> They have pectinate (comb-like) [[incisors]] called [[toothcomb]]s, and the [[dentition|dental formula]]: {{DentalFormula|upper=2.1.3.3|lower=2.1.3.3}} They are active at night.

After a [[gestation]] period of 110–133 days, young galagos are born with half-closed eyes and are initially unable to move about independently. After a few (6–8) days, the mother carries the infant in her mouth, and places it on branches while feeding. Females may have singles, twins, or triplets, and may become very aggressive. Each newborn weighs less than {{convert|1/2|oz|g|spell=in}}. For the first three days, the infant is kept in constant contact with the mother. The young are fed by the mother for six weeks and can feed themselves at two months. The young grow rapidly, often causing the mother to walk awkwardly as she transports them.<ref name="African Wildlife Foundation"/>

Females maintain a [[territory (animal)|territory]] shared with their offspring, though males leave their mothers' territories after puberty. Thus social groups consist of closely related females and their young. Adult males maintain separate territories, which overlap with those of the female social groups; generally, one adult male mates with all the females in an area. Males that have not established such territories sometimes form small bachelor groups.<ref name=EoM/>

Bush-babies are sometimes kept as pets, and like many other nonhuman primates, they are a likely sources of [[zoonoses|diseases that can cross species barriers]]. Equally, they are very likely to attract attention from customs officials on importation into many countries. Reports from veterinary and zoological sources indicate captive lifetimes of 12.0 to 16.5 years, suggesting a natural lifetime over a decade.<ref name="Primate Information Network">{{cite web|url=http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/aboutp/phys/lifespan.html|title=The Life Spans of Nonhuman Primates|work=Primate Information Network}}</ref>

Galagos communicate by calling to each other and by marking their paths with urine. By following the scent of urine, they can land on exactly the same branch every time.<ref name="African Wildlife Foundation"/> Each species produces a unique set of loud calls that have different functions. One function is to identify individuals as members of a particular species across distances. Scientists can recognize all known galago species by their 'loud calls'.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Vocal Profiles for the Galagos: A Tool for Identification |last1=Bearder |first1=Simon K. |date=2013 |journal=Primate Conservation |doi=10.1896/052.027.0102 |last2=Butynski |first2=Thomas M. |volume=27 |pages=75 |last3=de Yong |first3=Yvonne A. |s2cid=85113522 |doi-access=free}}</ref> At the end of the night, group members use a special rallying call and gather to sleep in a nest of leaves, a group of branches, or a hole in a tree.

=== Jumping ===

Galagos have remarkable [[jumping]] abilities. The highest reliably reported jump for a galago is {{Cvt|2.25|m}}.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hall-Crags |first=E. C. B. |date=1965 |title=An analysis of the jump of the Lesser Galago (''Galago senegalensis'') |url=https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1965.tb01874.x |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |language=en |volume=147 |issue=1 |pages=20–29 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1965.tb01874.x |issn=0370-2774}}</ref> According to a study published by the Royal Society, given the body mass of each animal and the fact that the leg muscles amount to about 25% of this, galago's jumping muscles should perform six to nine times better than those of a frog.<ref name="jumping">{{cite journal |last=Aerts |first=Peter |title=Vertical jumping in ''Galago senegalensis'': the quest for an obligate mechanical power amplifier |journal=Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci |volume=353 |issue=1375 |pages=1607–1620 |date=29 October 1998 |doi=10.1098/rstb.1998.0313 |pmc=1692381}}</ref> This is thought to be due to elastic energy storage in tendons of the lower leg, allowing far greater jumps than would otherwise be possible for an animal of their size.<ref name="jumping"/> In mid-flight, they tuck their arms and legs close to the body; they bring them out at the last second to grab a branch. In a series of leaps, a galago can cover ten yards in mere seconds. The tail, which is longer than the length of the head and body combined, assists the legs in powering the jumps. They may also hop like a kangaroo or simply run or walk on four legs.<ref name="African Wildlife Foundation"/> Such strong, complicated, and coordinated movements are due to the rostral half of the posterior parietal cortex that is linked to the motor, premotor, and visuomotor areas of the frontal cortex.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Microstimulation reveals specialized subregions for different complex movements in posterior parietal cortex of prosimian galagos |last1=Stepniewska |first1=Iwona |date=2005 |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |doi=10.1073/pnas.0501048102 |pmid=15772167 |last2=Fang |first2=Pei-Chun |volume=102 |issue=13 |last3=Kaas |pages=4878–4883 |first3=Jon H. |pmc=555725 |bibcode=2005PNAS..102.4878S |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Qimeng |last2=Liao |first2=Chia-Chi |last3=Stepniewska |first3=Iwona |last4=Gabi |first4=Mariana |last5=Kaas |first5=Jon |title=Cortical connections of the functional domain for climbing or running in posterior parietal cortex of galagos |journal=J Comp Neurol |year=2021 |volume=529 |issue=10 |pages=2789–2812 |doi=10.1002/cne.25123 |pmid=33550608 |pmc=9885969 }}</ref>