Bushbaby | London Zoo

Area of zoo

Enclosure status

Open

IUCN status

Least Concern

Scientific name

Galago moholi

Order

Primates

Family

Galagidae

Region

Southern Africa

Habitat

Savannah woodlands

Bush baby facts

Bush babies get their name from their call, which sounds just like a newborn baby crying.
They're nocturnal and their large eyes are adapted for seeing in low-light.
Their ears can move independently like radio dishes to locate their prey.
They can jump up to five metres.

Bushbaby climbing a tree

Bushbaby on a tree branch

What do bush babies eat?

Gum that oozes out of acacia trees, and invertebrates like butterflies, moths, and beetles.

Bushbaby on a tree branch

Bush baby threats

There are no major threats to the species, and their range is expanding in some areas.

Animals in our Nightlife habitat

Nycticebus pygmaeus
Pygmy slow loris
Slow lorises are the only venomous primate, producing a toxin in their glands, which becomes activated when mixed with their saliva.
Perodicticus potto
Potto
To mark their territory pottos leave urine trails on trees and deter predators using toxic secretions. They also have their own very distinct odour which you will be able to smell when you visit them.
Loris tardigradus
Slender loris
Slender lorises silently sneak up on their prey and grab with their hands.
Heterocephalus glaber
Naked mole-rat
Naked mole rats very rarely get cancer, and are capable of surviving low oxygen levels and are resistant to some forms of pain.
Hypogeomys antimena
Malagasy giant jumping rat
The largest rodent in Madagascar, the giant jumping rat lives in burrows of complex tunnels.
Daubentonia madagascariensis
Aye-aye
Aye-ayes use their long finger to tap on branches and listen for hollow sounds, then they use their strong front teeth to rip open the bark before reaching into the hole to pull out their prey.
Nightlife at the Zoo