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• Garnett's Bush Baby

Scientific Name: Otolemur garnettii

Bush babies belong to the galago family of prosimians, and are more “primitive” primates, exhibiting characteristics seen in their early ancestors. The name bush baby originated from its vocalizations which sound like a human child crying, and from its cute appearance.

STATUS:  Garnett’s bush baby is at lower risk of extinction. However, it is losing habitat as land is cleared for agricultural use. As with all primates, international trade in this animal or its parts is limited under CITES. Its predators include snakes, owls, small carnivores, and sometimes humans.   

HABITAT:  Four subspecies exist along coastal regions of east Africa, including Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, and neighboring islands. They inhabit subtropical and tropical dry forests and farmlands, and dry savannas, in coastal, riverine, and highland forests.

DIET:  Garnett’s bush babies are omnivorous and play an important ecological role, dispersing seeds of many plant species. They mainly consume fruits and insects, but also gums, mollusks, snails, and birds.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:  Garnett’s bush babies weigh just over 1.5 lbs. and measure about 9 to 13 in. long. Males are larger than females. These primates have long, fully furred, non-prehensile tails used for balance. Their coloration varies according to subspecies. The fur is dense and woolly and may be red-brown to iron gray. Their short ears can move independently, and they have excellent hearing. The forward-pointing, large eyes have almost no color vision as their retinas contain mostly rods for night vision. A long, pointed muzzle with moist, naked rhinarium, and a Jacobsen’s organ enhance the animal’s keen sense of smell. Garnett’s bush babies hop from tree to tree, rarely coming to the ground. Pads on their hands and feet contain touch-sensitive Meissner’s corpuscles, and their thumbs are functionally (but not fully) opposable for grasping. These animals live up to 15 years in captivity but less in the wild. Females are pregnant for about 126-136 days. Typically, one infant is born; twins are rare.

BEHAVIOR:  Garnett’s bush babies live in complex but dispersed groups, and usually forage alone at night. Males and females have multiple mates, and their home ranges may overlap. Females are typically dominant.

Great Communicators!

Bush babies’ communication occurs primarily through smells and sounds, although body postures, facial expressions, and social grooming are also involved. They use secretions from various glands and urine to mark territories, self-anoint, and scent-mark members of the opposite sex. Urine-washing (spreading urine over the hands and feet), allows the bush baby to leave its scent behind as it moves, and also improves its grip. Bush babies often communicate vocally, and each species has a repertoire of 10 or more calls, clicks, growls, barks, and loud cries. These help attract mates, repel rivals, and sound alarms. Their frequencies and rhythms vary, and some calls even reflect an individual’s emotion. In fact, examination of distinctive vocalizations has lead to discovery of new bush baby species as some calls appear to be species-specific.