FIELD GUIDE: MAMMALS

BUSH BABY

 Scientific name: Otolemur crassicaudatus

Pylum: Chordata

Order:  Primates

Family: Galagidae

Genus: Galago

Vulnerability: Least concern

Galagos /ɡəˈleɪɡoʊz/, also known as bush babies, or nagapies (meaning "night monkeys" in Afrikaans[, are small nocturnal primates native to continental, sub-Sahara Africa, and make up the family Galagidae (also sometimes called Galagonidae). They are considered a sister group of the Lorisidae.

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.

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