Southern Kielnagelgalago
| Southern Kielnagelgalago | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Euoticus elegantulus | ||||||||||||
| ( Le Conte , 1857) |
The southern keel nail galago ( Euoticus elegantulus ) is a primate species from the Galagos family (Galagonidae).
features
Southern keel nail galagos have a dense, woolly fur that is gray-brown to red-brown on the top and gray on the underside. In their physique they show adaptations to the food, which consists mainly of tree sap: The nails are compact on the sides ("keel-shaped") and pointed at the front, the hands and feet are wide. The upper incisors are forward, the lower incisors are elongated, and the anterior premolars are canine-like enlarged. As with all Galagos, the eyes and ears are very large. They reach a head body length of 18 to 21 centimeters, a tail length of 28 to 31 centimeters and a weight of 270 to 360 grams.
distribution and habitat
Southern Kielnagelgalagos are native to central Africa . Their distribution area extends from southern Cameroon via Mbini (the mainland part of Equatorial Guinea ) to Gabon and the Republic of the Congo . In Cameroon, the Sanaga River forms the border with the distribution area of the Northern Kielnagelgalago . Their habitat are tropical rainforests.
Way of life
These primates are nocturnal tree dwellers that hardly ever get to the ground. During the day they sleep in self-made leaf nests, at night they go looking for food, jumping and running and staying at heights of 5 to 50 meters.
While two to seven animals often spend the day sleeping together, at night they search for food separately. The females form groups with a fixed hierarchy. They are territorial animals that mark their territory with urine but, unlike other Galagos, do not wash their paws with urine. The territory of one male overlaps that of several females.
The preferred date of birth is between December and March, when the food is at its best. The female usually gives birth to a single young, otherwise little is known about reproduction.
nutrition
The diet of these primates consists primarily (around 75%) of tree sap. The broad hands and pointed nails are used to hold on to the vertical tree bark, the specialized teeth for gnawing the tree bark. Insects make up around 20% of their diet, but they hardly eat any fruit.
Danger
The southern Kielnagelgalago is widespread and frequent, it is listed by the IUCN as "not endangered" ( least concern ).
literature
- Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin et al. 2002, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 .
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
Web links
- Information at Animal Diversity Web
- Information at theprimata.com
- Euoticus elegantulus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008 Posted by: S. Bearder, 2008. Accessed on 9 second in 2009.