Know Your Primate: Galago demidoff

Order: Primates
Suborder: Strepsirrhini
Family: Galagidae
Genus: Galago
Species: Galago demidoff
Common Name: Dwarf Galago
The dwarf galago resides in Africa. It ranges from southern Somalia to northern Tanzania and from Senegal to western Tanzania.

They live in either primary or secondary rainforests and are considered to be Africa’s smallest primates. They are quadrupedal leapers and display the same morphology as other leapers (e.g. hindlimbs longer than forelimbs, forelimbs and tail used for stability, etc.) although not to the same degree as the Senegal Bushbaby. They are crepuscular/nocturnal primates. Basically this means they sleep during the day, wake up around twilight and become really active after dark. They are, predominately, insectivorous with some fruit and gums tossed in for good measue. Their hearing is extremely acute and they can hear even the slightest movement by insects. Consequently, they frequently capture their prey on takeoff.

Below is a picture of their skeleton:

Note: I hope to have the next part of my series on primate locomotion up by Monday.