Rondo dwarf galago

Rondo dwarf galago[1]
At Kisarawe, Pwani, Tanzania
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Galagidae
Genus: Galagoides
Species: G. rondoensis
Binomial name
Galagoides rondoensis
Honess, 1997
range
Synonyms

Galago rondoensis Honess in Kingdon, 1997

The Rondo dwarf galago (Galagoides rondoensis) or Rondo bushbaby [2] is a species of primate in the family Galagidae.The dwarf galagos are the smallest members of the genus Galagoides.[3] It weighs less than 100 grams, making it the smallest known galago.[4] It is endemic to Tanzania where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It lives in an area reported in 2012 to be less than 100 square kilometers[4] and is threatened by habitat loss due to logging.[2] While it was discovered in the 1950s, the Rondo dwarf galago was deemed data deficient until 1996. In 1996, the Rondo bushbaby was fully described as a species.[2] It is now listed as one of "The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates."[5] In 2010, it was also added to the Zoological Society of London's list of genetically distinct and endangered mammals.[6]

Description

Bushbabies are small primates with long tails and large ears and eyes. They all have grooming claws, a tooth comb, and a pseudo-tongue.[3] The Rondo bushbaby can be distinguished from other dwarf galagos by its bottle brush tail. The tail is red in young Rondo bushbabies, and darkens with age.[3] It also has a distinctive "double unit rolling call". Two soft units comprise the call. The first is a higher pitch sound that can be repeated up to six times at a constant tempo. This forms a phrase. [3]

Ecology

The diet of the Rondo dwarf galago consists primarily of insects. The species also feeds on fruits and flowers. By clinging to forest life and leaping, the species can feed in the leaf litter and the understory. As nocturnal animals, they build daytime sleeping nests in the canopy.[3] It is assumed that the Rondo dwarf galago gives birth to one or two young per year.[2]

Habitat

The Rondo dwarf galago is typically found in coastal dry forest and scrub in forest patches that are on eastern facing slopes and escarpments.[2]

Distribution

The Rondo bushbaby is known to live along the coast of Tanzania at elevations between 50–900 meters above sea level. It is found specifically in eight isolated and threatened forest patches: Zaraninge Forest within Sadaani National Park, Pande Game Reserve, Pugu/Kazimzumbwe, Rondo, Litipo, Chitoa, Ruawa and Ziwani Forest Reserves. The total known distribution encompasses an area of 92 km2. The eight subpopulations can be classified into two broad populations, one in southwest Tanzania and the other about 400 km north from there, surrounding Dar es Salaam.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Groves, C.P. (2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 118. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Perkin, A.; Bearder, S.; Honess, P. & Butynski, T. M. (2008). "Galagoides rondoensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2008. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 1 January 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wild, Gabby, and Justine Gwegime. "Rondo Dwarf Galago." EDGE of Existence. The Zoological Society of London, n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2015.
  4. 1 2 Taylor, Anna-Louise (25 January 2012) Strange endangered primates you may have never heard of - Rondo dwarf galago (Galago rondoensis) BBC News Nature features, Retrieved 13 September 2012
  5. ↑ Mittermeier, R.A.; Wallis, J.; Rylands, A.B.; Ganzhorn, J.U.; Oates, J.F.; Williamson, E.A.; Palacios, E.; Heymann, E.W.; Kierulff, M.C.M.; Long Yongcheng; Supriatna, J.; Roos, C.; Walker, S.; Cortés-Ortiz, L.; Schwitzer, C., eds. (2009). "Primates in Peril: The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates 2008–2010" (PDF). Illustrated by S.D. Nash. Arlington, VA.: IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group (PSG), International Primatological Society (IPS), and Conservation International (CI): 1–92. ISBN 978-1-934151-34-1.
  6. ↑ "`Asian Unicorn' And Scaly Anteater In Peril." Australian, The (2010): 18. Newspaper Source. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.
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