Galago

Galagos /ɡəˈleɪɡoʊz/, also known as bushbabies, bush babies, or nagapies (meaning "little night monkeys" in Afrikaans), are small, nocturnalprimates native to continental Africa, and make up the family Galagidae (also sometimes called Galagonidae). They are sometimes included as a subfamily within the Lorisidae or Loridae.

According to some accounts, the name "bush baby" comes from either the animal's cries or its appearance. The South African name nagapie is because they are almost exclusively seen at night.

In both variety and abundance, the bush babies are the most successful primitive primates in Africa, according to the African Wildlife Foundation.

Characteristics

Galagos have large eyes that give them good night vision, strong hind limbs, acute 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. 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. They have pectinate (comb-like) incisors called toothcombs, and the dental formula: 2.1.3.32.1.3.3