# Somali bushbaby (Galago gallarum)

> The Somali bushbaby or Somali lesser galago: what it looks like, its range from Odweyne to the Kenyan border, how it was classified, and its records in Somalia.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/nature/somali-bushbaby/
Last checked: 2026-11-13
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## In short

The Somali bushbaby (*Galago gallarum*), also called the Somali lesser galago, is a small primate of the family Galagidae. It is active at night and lives in trees ([IUCN Red List, *Galago gallarum*, 2019](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T8786A17963185.en)). It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia (same source).

## Range and habitat

Unlike other galagos, it is tied to dry thorny woodland and semi-arid thorn scrub. This covers large parts of southwestern Ethiopia and much of Kenya, and in Somalia runs from Odweyne, south of the [Gulf of Aden](/en/relations/yemen/) coast, southward to the Kenyan border ([Butynski and De Jong, "Natural history of the Somali lesser galago", *Journal of East African Natural History*, 2004](https://doi.org/10.2982/0012-8317(2004)93[23:nhotsl]2.0.co;2)).

## How it was classified

Oldfield Thomas described it in 1901. It was later treated as one of many subspecies of the Senegal lesser galago (*Galago senegalensis*). T. R. Olson raised it again to a separate species in his 1979 PhD thesis and a 1986 paper, and this has not been disputed since. No subspecies are recognised (same source).

## What it looks like

Its face and throat are whitish. Its ears, eye-rings, muzzle and tail are black or dark brown, which gives a sharp contrast. Its belly is pale. Its body hairs are grey for most of their length with a buff tip, so it looks sand-coloured by day and greyish at night (same source).

It shares part of its range with the Senegal lesser galago and can be told apart by the length of its hind limb, hind foot, ear and tail, and in the field by its look, call and habitat. In southern Somalia and coastal Kenya its range touches that of the Kenya coast galago, which lives in moister places and has a different call (same source).

## Records in Somali lands

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) holds 3 records of the Somali bushbaby from Somalia, dated from 1901 to 1976 ([GBIF occurrence search, Somalia](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?country=SO&taxon_key=2436521)). By type: 3 museum specimens.

The oldest dated record is a museum specimen from 1901, held by SMF ([GBIF record 207836024](http://sesam.senckenberg.de/page/index.asp?objekt_id=163913&sprache_kurz=en)).

The newest dated record is a museum specimen from 1976, from a place recorded as "Kismayo", held by MNKNU ([GBIF record 5896043392](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/5896043392)).

GBIF only holds what museums, scientists and observers have shared, so the counts show where the animal or plant has been recorded, not its full range.

## Red List status

The IUCN Red List category for the Somali bushbaby is **Least Concern** ([IUCN Red List assessment](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T8786A17963185.en); [GBIF species page](https://www.gbif.org/species/2436521)).

## Classification

| Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Primates |
| Family | Galagidae |
| Genus | Galago |
| Species | *Galago gallarum* |

Scientific name with author: *Galago gallarum* Thomas, 1901 ([GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/species/2436521)).

## Related pages

- [Togdheer](/en/regions/togdheer/)
- [Mammals of Somalia](/en/nature/mammals-of-somalia/)

## Sources

- [IUCN Red List assessment](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T8786A17963185.en)
- [GBIF species page](https://www.gbif.org/species/2436521)
- [GBIF occurrence records, Somalia](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?country=SO&taxon_key=2436521)
- [Butynski and De Jong, Natural history of the Somali lesser galago, 2004](https://doi.org/10.2982/0012-8317(2004)93[23:nhotsl]2.0.co;2)
- [Wikipedia (backup)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_bushbaby)

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