Makande scrub forest galago
| Makande scrub forest galago | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Sciurocheirus makandensis | ||||||||||||
| Ambrose , 2013 |
The Makande bush forest galago ( Sciurocheirus makandensis ) is a primate species from the Galagos family (Galagonidae), which is only known from a small area in central Gabon south of the Ogooué River .
features
The species is a medium-sized Galago, precise information on the size cannot be given as no individual animals have been caught and measured so far. The holotype was only photographed. The back fur is slate gray, the flanks and the outside of the limbs are reddish brown. The front third of the tail is also slate gray in adult animals, the rear two thirds are becoming increasingly black. The tail color is different in Galagos of different ages. The top of the head and face are colored soot gray, the circles under the eyes and the top of the muzzle are black, the top of the hands and feet are sooty. The cheeks, lower jaw, throat, chest, abdomen, and the inside of the limbs are grayish-white. In adult specimens, the reddish coloration of the side of the body can spread to the abdomen. Both sexes are colored the same. The Makande bush forest galago differs significantly from other Galagos by its vocalizations. Its lute is a fairly rapid whistle with one or five whistles and a heavy emphasis on the first whistle.
distribution and habitat
Makande bush forest galagos inhabit the tropical rainforest in central Gabon, and their range may extend as far as the Republic of the Congo . The habitat is hilly with heights of 200 to 700 meters above sea level. It consists for the most part of primary forest with only a few cleared areas and a tree population dominated by the carob and balsam trees. There are two rainy seasons , one from March to May and the second from October to December. The mean annual rainfall is 1750 mm. In about 80% of the Makande bush forest galagos observations, the animals were below a height of 5 meters.
Way of life
The way of life of the Makande bush forest galago has not yet been researched in detail. Like other Galagos, it will be nocturnal and will probably be quite similar in its behavior to the Allen galago ( Sciurocheirus alleni ) found further north . The diet consists of fruits, including windfalls, insects and other invertebrates. You can often see the Makande bush forest galago sitting above branches on which "ant trails" run. He removes ants and probably also catches other small animals that are fleeing from the ants. Nothing is known about the reproduction of the Makande bush forest galago.
Danger
Since the known distribution area of the Makande bush forest galago covers an area of less than 20,000 km² and the population density is low, it is possibly endangered.
literature
- Lesley Ambrose: Sciurocheirus makandensis sp. nov. In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume II: Primates pp. 421-422, Bloomsbury, London, 2013 ISBN 978-1-4081-2252 -5