African Bushbaby Plush Toys

Here is some interesting facts and information about the Bushbaby. The Bushbaby stuffed animal shown below is made by Hansa.

The Bushbaby, Ojam or Galago is an interesting, attractive little animal of southern and equatorial Africa. It is a nimble little creature that can bounce like a rubber ball on the ground or in the trees.

The bushbaby's long, slender toes and fingers are equipped with flesh pads at the tips, which act like suction cups, enabling the animal to walk or run up a tree without the use of its claws. It seems literally to gallop through the trees, with both fore and hind feet together, not just leaping from branch to branch but going forward at a fast pace and in a straight line.

The bushbaby has thick woolly fur, and its bushy tail may be a little longer than its body. It has very large brown eyes. The odd thing about these eyes is that the bushbaby cannot move them in their sockets as we can. It must turn its head to look around. What's more, it can turn its head far enough to look directly backward.

Like most lemurs, the little bushbaby lives in the trees and sleeps by day. It is a sociable animal and loves company, but not large crowds. Bushbabies will sleep huddled together in groups of three to four. They keep their large, thin, hairless ears turned backward and folded up while sleeping. The large ears also give this little creature exceptional hearing ability. They can even hear the gliding of an owl. The sleeping place is some hollow tree or amidst dense foliage.

Being nocturnal, bushbabies are rarely seen unless they are disturbed during the hours of sunlight, when they nap. At sundown the members of the small band come alive and utter a peculiar haunting cry, which they repeat at intervals throughout the night, as they rush about in quest of food, including insects, leaves and fruit. It is because of this cry, we are told, that they are called "babies." They are mainly vegetarian in diet, but are very fond on birds' eggs. In the dim light of the jungle night, the agile creatures can jump and land with accuracy on a branch twenty feet away. Although they are quite pugnacious -- a quarrel among them may be the beginning of a fight to the death -- they have been tamed and are reputed to make docile pets. Having them as pets is discouraged.

The gestation period is about 4 months. Bushbaby young are born with half-closed eyes and at first are unable to move about independently. But after 6 to 8 days, the mother begins to carry the infant in her mouth. She places it on a branch while feeding. The young are suckled for 6 weeks and can feed themselves at 2 months. Their lifespan in captivity is from 12 to 16 years. Predators include eagles, owls and large snakes.

There are many kinds of bushbabies. The largest is about the size of a house cat and the smallest not much bigger than a large mouse. They dwell in the forested parts of Africa south of the Sahara, and belong to the family Lorisidae, with the lorises and pottos.