Social organization of Galagos in Kenyan coastal forests: I. Galago zanzibaricus

The social organization of Galago zanzibaricus was studied for the first time and the study included data from two different sites in the coastal forests of Kenya. A combination of mark-recapture and radio-tracking techniques was used to investigate patterns of inter- and intrasexual home range overlap. Associations in sleeping groups indicated social ties between individuals. Patterns of range use were established by radio-tracking focal individuals. Adult males generally had nonoverlapping ranges, shared with one or two females and their offspring with which the male regularly slept. Young females remained longer in their natal ranges than males and reproduced within their natal ranges. Range size and distance traveled per night were similar between the sexes; both sexes probably defended territories. None of the other galago (bushbaby) species studied to date show the degree of close male-female association found in G. zanzibaricus. This study thus extends the variety of social organization documented in nocturnal prosimians.