Are There Bush Babies in Bwindi? Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to bush babies, which live in the dense forests of the park.
Bush babies, scientifically known as Galago senegalensis, are primates belonging to the prosimian group. They are nocturnal, meaning they are active at night and sleep during the day. Their name comes from the child-like cries they make to mark their territories and communicate with family members.
Bush babies are physically identified by their silver-grey, reddish to black-brown coat, large ears and eyes, small heads, long hind legs, soft woolly fur, and long tails.
Bush babies usually live in small groups made up of a mother and her offspring.
Like any other animal, bush babies have predators, including owls, eagles, African wild cats, and large snakes.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to three species of bush babies:
- Eastern needle-clawed bush baby (G. inustus)
- Thomas’s bush baby (G. thomasi)
- Dwarf bush baby (G. dentidovii)
What Do Bush Babies Feed On?
Bush babies have a varied diet, including: gum from acacia trees, insects like butterflies, moths, beetles, and grasshoppers, fruits, flowers, and seeds and small animals like frogs, lizards, and small birds.
Gestation Period of Bush Babies
The gestation period of a bush baby is 3 to 4 months. They give birth to one or two young ones. The young are breastfed for two months before being weaned and learning to feed themselves.
When the young are small, the mother carries them. Females become more aggressive and protective before and after giving birth.
Bush Baby Vocalizations
Bush babies communicate using various vocalizations, including: Chattering calls, Squeaky whistling sounds, Wailing cries and Clucking and croaking sounds.
How Bush Babies Adapt to Their Environment
Bush babies have powerful hind legs, allowing them to jump up to 2 meters. This helps them move through the forest canopy and escape predators.
Their large, bat-like ears enable them to track insects at night and catch them.
They make loud vocalizations to communicate with each other in the forest.
About Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located in southwestern Uganda in the districts of Kabale, Kisoro, and Kanungu. The park is a tropical rainforest with various tree and fern species.
Bwindi is home to about half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. Other wildlife in the park includes mammals such as elephants, buffaloes, forest hogs, bush babies, and yellow-backed duikers. Bird species include the black-billed turaco, black bee-eater, Rwenzori batis, and regal sunbird.
The park is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the body in charge of national parks in Uganda. It covers an area of 331 square kilometers.
Bwindi was established as a national park in 1991 to protect endangered mountain gorillas and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
It takes about 9 to 10 hours to travel to Bwindi by car from Entebbe or Kampala. Tourists traveling by air from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airfield can reach Kisoro or Kihihi airstrips in about 1.5 hours, followed by a car transfer to the park.
Bush babies are fascinating creatures worth seeing during a visit to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
