Northern needle-clawed bushbaby

Northern needle-clawed bushbaby
Conservation status
Near Threatened(IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Strepsirrhini
Family:	Galagidae
Genus:	Euoticus
Species:	E. pallidus
Binomial name
Euoticus pallidus (J. E. Gray,1863)
Northern needle-clawed bushbaby range

Thenorthern needle-clawed bushbaby(Euoticus pallidus) is a species ofstrepsirrhineprimate in the familyGalagidae.It is found in the coastal region ofCameroonandNigeria,and on the island ofBioko,Equatorial Guineain lower-elevation forests that provide its specialized diet of tree gum and resins.

Description

This is a medium-sized species with a head-and-body length of 180 mm (7 in) and a tail of 190 mm (7.5 in). Members of this genus have long limbs and large hands and feet. The fur is woolly and they have short, blunt snouts, large orange eyes and bony ridges surrounding the eyes. The nails on both hands and feet are keeled, and are elongated forward into sharp points. These nails are an adaptation to help provide grip on large branches of trees. The upper parts of this bushbaby, and the outer parts of the limbs, are reddish-grey or reddish-buff, being greyer on the neck, shoulders, arms and tail. Some individuals have a dark greyish-brown dorsal stripe running from the shoulders to the root of the tail. The tail is the same colour as the back, fading gradually to grey near the tip. The underparts are yellowish or whitish-grey. The northern needle-clawed bushbaby differs from thesouthern needle-clawed bushbabyin having a wide gap between the two upper central incisors, and the nasal bones being narrower at the front and broader behind. Both species differ from other bushbabies in having a single pair of nipples.

Distribution and habitat

The northern needle-clawed bushbaby is endemic to west central Africa where its range extends from theNiger River,in Nigeria, to theSanaga Riverin Cameroon. ThesubspeciesE. p. pallidusis present on the island ofBiokoin theGulf of Guinea,while the subspeciesE. p. talbotioccurs over the rest of the range. It is found in both primary and secondary moist lowland forest, mostly in the upper and middle parts of the canopy.It also occurs at higher altitudes in high rainfall areas such asMount KupeandMount Cameroon.

Ecology

This bushbaby feeds mainly ongumwhich exudes from the trunk and branches of trees; this is gathered with a "toothcomb", formed by the enlarged lowerincisors.It also feeds oninvertebrates,catching them with both hands, and sometimes hanging by two feet while doing so. It clambers about among the branches, sometimes descending the trunk head first. It can make horizontal leaps between trees, or can drop vertically, legs splayed. It forages alone but communicates vocally with others and sleeps communally. Little is known of its reproductive habits.

Status

E. pallidusmay be threatened byhabitat destructionwhere its forest habitat has been fragmented by logging and conversion to agriculture. However, part of its range is in protected areas including the Cross River National Park (Nigeria), Korup National Park, and Banyang - Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary (Cameroon), and the Southern Highlands Scientific Reserve (Bioko). TheInternational Union for Conservation of Natureassessed its conservation status in 2008 as being near-threatened but listed its current population trend as "unknown."