Checkered Elephant Shrew

This is a very odd looking animal that came our way. A Checkered Elephant Shrew!

This animal can be handled without my special gloves, as it will not bite. But I did find out that his four figures are very sharp and can brake the skin.

They have a great pattern on their back. Three to four black stripes with white spots.

I thought that they eat through their nose, (silly me) but soon found out that there is a small mouth underneath his nose where a long tongue comes out like a dog to drink! 

Another Bush baby!

A mother with 2 babies. 

Bush baby arrives!

Today, a villager arrived at the gate with a young Bush baby. She killed the mother for food and took the 2 babies home. The next day one died, so they decided to bring the remaining one to the orphanage to sell it before it too dies.
  After inspecting it, I paid $2,50 for it today and if he survives the week I will give another $2,50
   I am suspecting that he was still dependent on his mother so I will attempt to feed it with different things. First with a small specialized bottle with milk in it. If it doesn't take, I will put out fruits and yogurt, etc.
  If he survives for the next week, I will take him down to Munda Wanga to be with other bush babies.
 

Physical description: Including their relatively long, fluffy-tipped tails, these tiny primates are only about 37cm in length and weigh around 150g when fully grown. They have large orangey-brown eyes encircled by dark fur. Other than that, their fur is grey, with a lighter tummy and white stripe down the pinkish nose. Their ears are large and can be swivelled independently of each other.Until very recently, only 6 species of bushbaby were recognised. However, more intensive studies over the past 2 decades have proven that there are at least 25 different bushbabies, many of which look extremely similar (known as cryptic species). Detailed analysis has shown that some bushbaby species are even more distantly related to each other than humans are to gorillas! 

Habitat: Bushbabies inhabit all types of habitat in much of sub-Saharan Africa, except the most southern parts of South Africa. Southern lesser bushbabies (the particular species found at Birds of Eden) can be found in the region between Angola, Tanzania and South Africa. They like to live in semi-arid territories, such as savannah, scrub forest or on forest edges, especially in the vicinity of acacia and mopane trees. Although they are not normally found as far south as Birds of Eden, our animals did just fine during the winter months since they have a heat lamp near their cosy sleeping boxes. 

Diet: Bushbabies eat beetles, grasshoppers, scorpions, small reptiles, butterflies and moths. These amazing hunters can catch flying prey in mid-air whilst leaping from tree to tree. Bushbabies are also partial to acacia gum, which they gouge out of trees using their toothcomb. This dental apparatus is common amongst prosimians and consists of forward jutting teeth in the front of the lower jaw. Also helpful for tree-sap harvesting are the strong claws of bushbaby index fingers and their rough tongue, which feels just like sandpaper! Although some species of bushbaby eat fruit, Galago moholi only do so in captivity and have never been reported to eat fruit in the wild. 

Life history: Like humans, bushbabies normally give birth to one offspring at a time, though twins and even triplets are occasionally born. The gestation length is usually just over four months. Newborn infants are carried in the mother's mouth or cling to her belly during their first month of life, after which they are able to ride on her back. By two months, a little bushbaby can travel independently and weaning occurs by the age of five months. Females are sexually mature at about one year of age, and will leave the family group to make a separate nest in which to give birth. These little animals have a lifespan of around 15 years.

Associations: Southern lesser bushbabies share their homeranges with thick-tailed greater bushbaies, northern lesser bushbabies, Demidoff's busbabies and Zanzibar bushbabies. The fact that many bushbabies share their territories with each other has made it even more difficult for researchers to distinguish between species. In general, similar species sharing a habitat will focus on different food sources and heights in the canopy.

Social structure: Little is known about the social organisation of bushbabies, since their nocturnal habits and jumping speed make them difficult to observe in the wild and since all the different species exhibit vastly different social organisations. Generally, bushbabies are known to be solitary which appears to be untrue for most species. It seems that small groups of 1-3 Galago moholi may forage together at night. Whilst foraging, females usually "park" their young in a safe place until they can return for them. Up to 8 individuals, including only one male and often several females with their offspring, curl up together to sleep in tree hollows, abandoned bird's nest or self-made treetop nests during the day. Males occupy territories that overlap those of several females, especially if they are dominant over other males in the vicinity.

Territorial marking: Bushbabies scent-mark their territories with specialised scent glands and by urinating on their hands and feet, thereby spreading their sweet pungent smell anywhere they go. Their wet noses (rhinariums) and Jacobson's organ in the roof of the mouth allow them to detect complex information transmitted via liquid chemicals.

Communication: Bushbabies make loud vocalisations that sound like crying human infants, which is what earned them their funny name. The different species of bushbaby look extremely similar, but they can be told apart by analysing their differing vocalisations, especially the loud calls. Also helpful in differentiating the various galago are hand pad shapes, reproductive behaviours, genetic analysis and male genital comparisons.

Mating: During the mating season, males roam through larger areas than usual in an effort to mate with as many different females as possible, whereas females remain within their territory. Males pick up weight during mating seasons, which occur twice a year over a period of only a few days each time. Their testicles also increase significantly in size and individuals with the largest testes have by far the most mating success! Mating is particularly popular in late September and is usually initiated by males. Intercourse lasts about 10 minutes and the longest recorded mating time in the wild was 53 minutes! 

Other behaviour: These tiny animals can jump an astounding 5 meters from a vertical position on one tree to the next. They use their strong legs to push off for a jump and their tail works like a rudder to direct them to their desired landing spot. Bushbabies sleep very deeply, and therefore look endearingly stunned and confused immediately after waking up. This makes them rather easy prey, but if they wake up without danger they tend to groom a little before getting on with their nightly hunting and foraging.

Infornation taken from: http://www.animal-info.co.za/southern-lesser-bushbaby.html 

References:
Anderson, M.J., Ambrose, L., Bearder, S.K., Dixson, A.F. and Pullen, S. (2000) Intraspecific variation in the vocalizations and hand pad morphology of southern lesser bushbabies (Galago moholi). International Journal of Primatology, 21(3):537-555.
Butynski, T. & Members of the Primate Specialist Group 2000. Galago moholi. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 16 July 2006.
Nekaris, K.A.I. & Bearder, S. (2006) The Lorisiform Primates of Asia and Mainland Africa. In: Campbell et al. (eds.), Primates in Perspective. New York/Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Information supplied by:
Lara Mostert
lara@monkeyland.co.za

Giant African Pouched Rat

The other day, one boy came to our gate selling a male giant pouched rat and 3 babies. All for $5. This was a steal as in the states they go for up to $50. 

I asked where the mother of the babies were and he said he ate her yesterday. He was keeping them in a corner of his hut where he was feeding them peanuts, fish and casavah everyday. He was raising them to eat, but school fees were more of a priority, so he brought them to me.

The male, which you see above, is still not full grown. He can grow twice as big with a good diet. 

I have called him Bob, and he is very playful and curious not like the regular rats we have around the farm. Here is some quick info from Wikipedia on the rodent: 

The Gambian pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus), also known as the African giant pouched rat, is a nocturnal pouched rat of the giant pouched rat genus Cricetomys. It is among the largest muroids in the world, growing up to about 0.9 metres (3 ft) long including their tail which makes up half their length. It is widespread in Sub-Saharan Africa, ranging geographically from Senegal to Kenya and from Angola to Mozambique (although it is absent from much of the DR Congo, where Emin's pouched rat is present) and in altitude from sea level to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).

The Gambian pouched rat has very poor eyesight and so depends on its senses of smell and hearing. Its name comes from the large, hamster-like pouches in its cheeks. It is not a true rat but is part of a uniquely African branch of muroid rodents. It typically weighs between 1 and 1.4 kilograms (2.2 and 3.1 lb). In its native Africa, this pouched rat lives in colonies of up to twenty, usually in forests and thickets, but also commonly in termite mounds. It is omnivorous, feeding on vegetables,insects, crabs, snails, and other items, but apparently preferring palm fruits and palm kernels.

Unlike domestic rats, it has cheek pouches like a hamster. These cheek pouches allow it to gather up several kilograms of nuts per night for storage underground. It has been known to stuff its pouches so full of date palm nuts so as to be hardly able to squeeze through the entrance of its burrow. The burrow consists of a long passage with side alleys and several chambers, one for sleeping and the others for storage. The Gambian pouched rat reaches sexual maturity at 5–7 months of age. It has up to four litters every nine months, with up to six offspring in each litter. Males are territorial and tend to be aggressive when they encounter one another.

In Africa, it is routinely eaten as bushmeat.

I will keep bob and 2 of the babies for fun. Maybe I can teach them some tricks or even bread them. The other baby will be going down to Lusaka with me by then end of the month to Munda Wanga, There he will be with other pouched rats.