Editing Galago

{{Short description|Family of primates}}
{{Redirect|Bush baby|other uses|Bush Baby (disambiguation){{!}}Bush Baby|and|Galago (disambiguation)}}
{{distinguish|Galaga}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Galagidae<ref name=msw3>{{MSW3 Groves|pages=123–127|id=12100126|heading=Family Galagidae}}</ref>
| image = Brown Greater Galago.jpg
| image_caption = [[Brown greater galago]]<br>(''Otolemur crassicaudatus'')
| taxon = Galagidae
| authority = [[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1825
| type_genus = ''[[Galago (genus)|Galago]]''
| type_genus_authority = [[Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire|Geoffroy]], 1796
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision =
''[[Euoticus]]''<br/>
''[[Galago (genus)|Galago]]''<br/>
''[[Galagoides]]''<br/>
''[[Otolemur]]''<br/>
''[[Paragalago]]''<br/>
''[[Sciurocheirus]]''
}}
[[File:Bushbabies.JPG|right|226px|thumb|[[Mohol bushbaby]] (''Galago moholi'')]]

'''Galagos''' {{IPAc-en|ɡ|ə|ˈ|l|eɪ|ɡ|oʊ|z}}, also known as '''bush babies''' or '''''nagapies''''' (meaning "night monkeys" in [[Afrikaans]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bush babies |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/b/bushbabies/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200507225921/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/b/bushbabies/|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 May 2020 |date=19 November 2019|website=National Geographic |language=en|access-date=30 May 2020}}</ref>), are small [[Nocturnality|nocturnal]]<ref name="African Wildlife Foundation">{{cite web |url=http://www.awf.org/content/wildlife/detail/bushbaby |title=African Wildlife Foundation: Bush Baby |publisher=Awf.org |date=26 February 2013 |access-date=27 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805042633/http://www.awf.org/content/wildlife/detail/bushbaby |archive-date=5 August 2012 }}</ref> [[primate]]s native to continental, [[sub-Sahara]] [[Africa]], and make up the [[family (biology)|family]] '''Galagidae''' (also sometimes called '''Galagonidae'''). They are considered a [[sister group]] of the [[Lorisidae]].<ref name="Pozzi2014">{{Cite journal|last1=Pozzi|first1=Luca|last2=Disotell|first2=Todd R.|last3=Masters|first3=Judith C.|date=2 April 2014|title=A multilocus phylogeny reveals deep lineages within African galagids (Primates: Galagidae)|journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology|volume=14|issue=1|pages=72|doi=10.1186/1471-2148-14-72|pmid=24694188|pmc=4021292|issn=1471-2148|doi-access=free|bibcode=2014BMCEE..14...72P }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Perelman|first1=Polina|last2=Johnson|first2=Warren E.|last3=Roos|first3=Christian|last4=Seuánez|first4=Hector N.|last5=Horvath|first5=Julie E.|last6=Moreira|first6=Miguel A. M.|last7=Kessing|first7=Bailey|last8=Pontius|first8=Joan|last9=Roelke|first9=Melody|last10=Rumpler|first10=Yves|last11=Schneider|first11=Maria Paula C.|date=17 March 2011|title=A Molecular Phylogeny of Living Primates|journal=PLOS Genetics|language=en|volume=7|issue=3|pages=e1001342|doi=10.1371/journal.pgen.1001342|issn=1553-7404|pmc=3060065|pmid=21436896 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

According to some accounts, the name "bush baby" comes from either the animal's cries or its appearance. The Ghanaian name ''aposor'' is given to them because of their firm grip on branches.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}

In both variety and abundance, the bush babies are the most successful [[strepsirrhine]] primates in Africa, according to the [[African Wildlife Foundation]].<ref name="African Wildlife Foundation"/>

== Taxonomic classification and phylogeny ==
{{see also|List of lorisoids}}

Galagos are currently grouped into six genera. ''[[Euoticus]]'' is a [[basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] [[sister taxon]] to all the other galagids.<ref name="Pozzi2014" /> The 'dwarf' galagids recently grouped under the genus ''[[Galagoides]]'' have been found, based on genetic data, and supported by analysis of vocalisations and morphology, to actually consist of two clades, which are not sister taxa, in eastern and western/central Africa (separated by the [[East African Rift|rift valley]]). The latter are basal to all the other non-''Euoticus'' galagids. The former group is sister to ''Galago'' and has been elevated to full genus status as ''[[Paragalago]]''.<ref name="Masters2017">{{cite journal|last1= Masters|first1= J.C.|last2= Génin|first2= F.|last3= Couette|first3= S.|last4= Groves|first4= C.P.|last5= Nash|first5= S.D.|last6= Delpero|first6= M.|last7= Pozzi|first7= L.|title=A new genus for the eastern dwarf galagos (Primates: Galagidae) |journal= Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume= 181|issue= 1|year= 2017|pages= 229–241|doi= 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlw028|hdl= 2318/1618044|hdl-access= free}}</ref> The genera ''[[Otolemur]]'' and ''[[Sciurocheirus]]'' are also sisters.<ref name="Masters2017" />
[[File:Garnett's Galago (Greater Bushbaby).jpg|thumb|250px|[[Garnett's galago]] (''Otolemur garnettii'')]]
[[File:Galago (Otolicnus Galago).png|right|250px|thumb|[[Senegal bushbaby|Senegal bushbabies]] (''Galago senegalensis'')]]

'''Family Galagidae''' - galagos, or bushbabies
* Genus ''[[Euoticus]]'', needle-clawed bushbabies<ref name="Pozzi2014" />
**[[Southern needle-clawed bushbaby]], ''E. elegantulus''
**[[Northern needle-clawed bushbaby]], ''E. pallidus''
*Genus ''[[Galago (genus)|Galago]]'',  lesser galagos, or lesser bushbabies
**''Galago senegalensis'' group
***[[Somali bushbaby]], ''G. gallarum''
***[[Mohol bushbaby]], ''G. moholi''
***[[Senegal bushbaby]], ''G. senegalensis''
**''Galago matschiei'' group
***[[Dusky bushbaby]], ''G. matschiei''
*Genus ''[[Galagoides]]'', western dwarf galagos<ref name="Masters2017" />
**[[Prince Demidoff's bushbaby]], ''Gs. demidovii''
**[[Angolan dwarf galago]], ''Gs. kumbirensis''
**[[Thomas's bushbaby]], ''Gs. thomasi''
*Genus †''[[Laetolia]]''
**†''[[Laetolia sadimanensis]]''<ref name="Harrison2011">{{cite book|editor-last=Harrison|editor-first=Terry|title=Paleontology and Geology of Laetoli: Human evolution in Context. Volume 2: Fossil Hominins and the Associated Fauna|url=https://www.springer.com/earth+sciences+and+geography/geology/book/978-90-481-9961-7|year=2011|publisher=Springer|page=75}}</ref>
*Genus ''[[Otolemur]]'', greater galagos, or thick-tailed bushbabies
**[[Brown greater galago]], ''O. crassicaudatus''
**[[Northern greater galago]], ''O. garnettii''
**[[Silvery greater galago]], ''O.  monteiri''
*Genus ''[[Paragalago]]'', eastern dwarf galagos<ref name="Masters2017" />
**''Paragalago zanzibaricus'' group
***[[Kenya coast galago]], ''P. cocos''
***[[Grant's bushbaby]], ''P. granti''
***[[Zanzibar bushbaby]], ''P. zanzibaricus''
**''Paragalago orinus'' group
***[[Uluguru bushbaby]], ''P. orinus''
***[[Rondo bushbaby]], ''P. rondoensis''
*Genus ''[[Sciurocheirus]]'', squirrel galagos
**[[Bioko Allen's bushbaby]], ''S. alleni''
**[[Cross River bushbaby]], ''S. cameronensis''
**[[Gabon bushbaby]], ''S. gabonensis''
**[[Makandé squirrel galago]], ''S. makandensis''

The phylogeny of Galagidae according to Masters ''et al.'', 2017 is as follows:<ref name="Masters2017" />

{{clade | style = font-size: 100%;line-height:100%
| label1 =Galagidae
|1={{clade
  |1=''[[Euoticus]]''
  |2={{clade
    |1=''[[Galagoides]]''
    |2={{clade
      |1={{clade
        |1=''[[Galago (genus)|Galago]]''
        |2=''[[Paragalago]]''
      }}
      |2={{clade
        |1=''[[Otolemur]]''
        |2=''[[Sciurocheirus]]''
      }}
    }}
  }}
}}
}}

== 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>

== Behaviour ==

Generally, the social structure of the galago has components of both social life and solitary life. This can be seen in their play. They swing off branches or climb high and throw things. Social play includes play fights, play grooming, and following-play. During following-play, two galagos  jump sporadically and chase each other through the trees. The older galagos in a group prefer to rest alone, while younger ones are in constant contact with one another.<ref name="daily life">{{cite journal |last=Witt |first=Cornelia |title=Preliminary observations on the social behaviour of the greater galago, ''Galago agisymbanus'' Coquerel, 1859, in captivity |journal=Anthropologischer Anzeiger |pages=193–203 |date=September 1982 |jstor=29539363 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/29539363 }}</ref> This is observed in the ''Galago garnetti'' species. Mothers often leave infants alone for long periods and do not try to stop them from leaving. On the other hand, the offspring tries to stay close to, and initiate social interactions with the mother.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Mother-Infant Interactions in Captive Thick-Tailed Galagos (''Galago garnetti'') |last1=Ehrlich |first1=Annette |date=1990 |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |doi=10.2307/1382168 |last2=MacBride |first2=Lynn |volume=71 |issue=2 |pages=198–204 |jstor=1382168}}</ref>

Grooming is a very important part of galago daily life. They often groom themselves before, during, and after rest. [[Social grooming]] is done more often by males in the group. Females often reject attempts by males to groom them.<ref name="daily life"/>

== Relationship with humans ==

The name “bush baby” also refers to a myth that is used to scare children to stay indoors at night.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel/africa-horrifying-myths-and-legends-from-across-the-continent/25m9w1v|title=Horrifying myths and legends from across the continent|last=Onyeakagbu|first=Adaobi|website=Pulse|date=19 July 2018|access-date=17 September 2019}}</ref> Their baby-like cry<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://edwinmadu.com/scary-nigerian-urban-legends-bush-baby-aa243b5ceeb2|title=Scary Nigerian Urban Legends- Bush Baby |date=2 August 2013 |work=The Stoic by Edwin Madu |access-date=18 October 2018}}</ref> is most likely the basis of the myth, about a powerful animal that can kidnap humans. It is also said that wild bush babies/galagos in Nigeria can never be found dead on plain ground. Rather, they make a nest of sticks, leaves or branches to die in. Endangerment of the species in sub-Saharan Africa has made this claim difficult to verify.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Galagidae}}
{{Wikispecies|Galagidae|Galago}}

{{Galagidae nav}}
{{Primates}}
{{Strepsirrhini|L.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q185239}}

[[Category:Galagos| 01]]
[[Category:Galagidae|.]]
[[Category:Primates of Africa]]
[[Category:Taxa named by John Edward Gray]]
[[Category:Taxa described in 1825]]