Vocal Profiles for the Galagos: A Tool for Identification

Abstract

The galagos (Family Galagidae) of Africa are nocturnal, small, and often difficult to observe, and most species are phenotypically cryptic. As such, galagos are frequently difficult to identify with confidence, particularly in the field. Being nocturnal, conspecifics mainly identify each other using auditory and olfactory cues, not visual signals. All galagos produce species-specific ‘loud calls’ (or ‘advertisement calls’). Loud calls have several functions, one of which is long-distance species identification. Knowing this, field scientists are now able to identify all currently recognized species of galagos by their loud calls.