Galago moholi
South African galago

Lesser bushbabies, Galago moholi, are found in the forested bush regions of Central Southern Africa. Their range does not extend to Madagascar. ()

Galago moholi is arboreal. This species lives in semiarid woodlands and savana grasslands. ()

Lesser bushbabays are about the size of a small chipmunk. They are sexually monomorphic. They have a head and body length from 88 to 210 mm and tail length 180 to 303 mm. These animals weigh between 140 and 230 g when mature. They have soft, dense fur, and a grey coat with yellowish grey underside. Their lower incisors are elongated and form a tooth comb used in grooming. Their thumbs are not opposable.

Ears in the genus Galago are interesting because they have four transverse ridges, which serve as flexing points in bending the ear in different directions, allowing each ear to be furled and unfurled, presumably assisting in detection of noises. ()

Another member of the genus, Galago senegalensis, is reported to have reached a maximum age of nearly 19 years in captivity. Galago moholi is probably similar. ()

Galago moholi is an arboreal, nocturnal forager. They are typically solitary, although they may live in small or in groups of 2 or 3 individuals. These groups may include a mother and offspring, or may include an adult male. During the day these galagos sleep in nests made in hollow trees or abandoned bird nests.

Unlike other galagines, members of the genus Galago inhabit open woodlands, savannahs, and thickets in grassland habitats. Within the homerange, G. moholi may make use of one of several favorite resting places during the day, as well as for a midnight resting period.

Locomotion is mainly by hopping, and rarely involves true quadrupedal locomotion, although these animals are capable of that. Galagos make long leaps through the trees, and can cover about 2.1 km in a single night. ()

Home Range

The size of home ranges differs between males and females. Males utilize home ranges of 1.5 to 22.9 hectares, whereas females use ranges of 4.4 to 11.7 hectares. In good habitats, densities of animals was between 95 and 200 per square km. ()

Galagos are highly vocal. They are reported to use scent marking and other chemical communication. Males are reported to "wash" their hands and feet in their own urine, allowing them to leave a scent trail where ever they move, although this behavior may also help to improve their grip on branches. As in other primates, tactile communication is of some importance, especially between mothers and their offspring, as well as between mates. Mutual licking and grooming has been reported in galago species. ()

Galago moholi is a primarily insectivorous omnivore. They prefer grasshoppers, butterflies, and moths, but they also eat fruits, seeds, and flowers. They sometimes feed on tree gums and saps. ()

Although details on predation of these animals were not available in the references examined, it is likely that these small, nocturnal primates fall prey to any number of smaller carnivorous species. Likely predators include small felids, herpestids, mustelids, raptors, and snakes.

Because galagos are such good leapers, one might expect them to use this form of locomotion to evade predators.

As insect predators, these animals may provide some control of insect populations. As frugivores, they may help to disperse seeds. As potential prey animals, they may have some positive effect on their predators.

Although no negative impacts have been reported for these primates, other similar galagos are known to harbor viruses that affect humans. It is likely that G. moholi also carries some human diseases, although this is speculative. ()

These animals have no known positive economic impact on humans.

Population estimates in the wild are unknown, however, the largest threat is loss of habitat due to land clearing.