Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

bush babies

English answer:

bush babies (galagos) or orphaned (etc.) young animals rescued from the Australian countryside

Added to glossary by Rachel Fell
Nov 8, 2005 00:00
18 yrs ago
English term

Bush babies

English Science Science (general) Zoology
Hi everyone!
I hope you can help.
I have encountered the term 'bush babies' refering to koalas and kangaroos. Having browsed on the internet I'm not sure these animals are considered/belong to the family of 'bush babies'. I thought they were just marsupials....any input?????
Many thanks.
Responses
4 +11 bush babies
3 +8 A definition

Discussion

KathyT Nov 8, 2005:
If you could provide a little more context or background, or at least the sentence in which the term appears, I'm sure you would be able to get a definitive response. (-:
KathyT Nov 8, 2005:
Others have already posted answers noting the 'true' definition of bush baby. However it is certainly possible, as noted by Rachel, that koalas and kangaroos would be referred to as "bush babies", being baby animals of the bush.

Responses

+11
7 mins
Selected

bush babies

true bush babies are small African primates with big eyes

The lesser galago, also called bush baby, is one of the smallest primates, ... The bush baby travels through the trees in literal leaps and bounds. ...
www.awf.org/wildlives/7

In Australia "bush babies" seem to be baby animals of the bush (bush = countryside in Australia)

Taking the stories of lost young animals, or 'bush babies', the Solo series from Scholastic feature the trials and humour of raising an orphaned native animal (one found by a roadside, the other fallen out of a tree) in two beautifully written and presented books for young readers by Robin Stewart and Yvonne Ashby.

Solo Bush Babies: Wombat and Koala
By Robin Stewart and Yvonne Ashby
Both Wombat and Koala tell the story of Brodie and Gran as they realise that rearing and caring for native animals is not only fun, but also very hard work.
http://www.echonews.com/819/book_reviews.html

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Note added at 28 mins (2005-11-08 00:29:15 GMT)
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And, of course, koalas and kangaroos are marsupials, and quite different from bush babies
soem pics. and info. - http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/329.shtml
Peer comment(s):

agree Refugio : Agree, I think here they just mean baby animals of the bush.
3 mins
Thanks Ruth!
agree swisstell
4 mins
Thanks SwissTell!
agree Michael Barnett : I saw a photo of a galagos sp. That's no kangaroo! ;-)
20 mins
Quite - thanks Michael!
agree humbird
20 mins
Thank you humbird!
agree Jennifer Vela Valido
21 mins
Thank you Jennifer!
agree Elizabeth Lyons : Definitely primates : )
29 mins
With big nocturnal eyes! Thanks, Elizabeth:)
agree KathyT : Agree with Ruth above. I'm sure they're just referring to babies of bush animals. No Aussie would blink twice at the reference (-:
1 hr
(and like in my second link about the book) - Thanks Kathy!
agree jennifer newsome (X)
2 hrs
Thank you Jennifer!
agree Alexandra Tussing
3 hrs
Thank you Alexandra!
agree Jörgen Slet
1 day 17 mins
Thank you , Jörgen!
agree Alfa Trans (X)
1 day 6 hrs
Thank you, Marju!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Gracias."
+8
3 mins

A definition

"bush baby   
Related: Vertebrates

Name for several small, active nocturnal primates of the loris family, found in forested parts of Africa. Bush babies, also called galagos, form the subfamily Galaginae. The smallest are about 1 ft (30 cm) long, including the long, furry tail. All have fluffy fur, small pointed faces with large eyes, and naked, highly mobile ears. The very large eyes are adapted for nocturnal vision and their pupils contract so as to be almost invisible. The long hind legs are specialized for jumping; the fingers and toes are long and slender, with fleshy terminal pads; and the thumb and big toe are opposable. Extremely swift and agile, bush babies leap like squirrels from branch to branch and hop on their hind legs on the ground. They feed on gums, insects, fruit, and vegetable matter. Senegal bush babies ( Galago senegalensis ) are familiar as pets. They are gregarious and spend much time grooming each other with their front teeth. Bush babies are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Primates, family Lorisidae. "

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/b1/bushbaby.asp

Good luck from Oso ¶:^)


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Note added at 2005-11-08 00:11:44 (GMT)
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The noun bush baby has one meaning:

Meaning #1: agile long-tailed nocturnal African lemur with dense woolly fur and large eyes and ears
  Synonyms: galago, bushbaby

Galagos
Brown Greater Galago
(Otolemur crassicaudatus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Galagonidae
Gray, 1825

Genera
 Otolemur
 Euoticus
 Galago

Galagos, also known as bushbabies or bush babies, are small, nocturnal primates native to continental Africa, and make up the family Galagonidae. They are sometimes included as a subfamily within the Lorisidae or Loridae.

Several galagos are also known as bush babies. The name bush baby may come either from the animals\' cries or from their appearance. Like all galagos they have an acute sense of hearing.

Galagos are agile leapers, and run swiftly along branches. They have large eyes, giving them good night vision; strong hind limbs; and long tails, which help them balance. Their diet is a mixture of insects and other small animals, fruit, and tree gums.

Bush babies are born with half-closed eyes, unable to move about independently. After a few days, the mother carries the infant in her mouth, and leaves it on convenient branches while feeding.

Adult females maintain territories, but share them with their offspring. Males leave their mothers\' territories after puberty, but females remain, forming social groups consisting of closely related females and their immature young. Adult males maintain separate territories, which overlap with those of the female social groups; generally, one adult male mates with all the females in an area. Males who have not established such territories sometimes form small bachelor groups.

Galagos communicate both by calling to each other, and by marking their paths with urine. At the end of the night, group members use a special rallying call and gather to sleep in a nest made of leaves, a group of branches, or a hole in a tree.

Classification

There has been much recent study of the Galagonidae. Several new species have been discovered, and they are now grouped into three genera, with the two former members of the now defunct genus Galagoides returned to their original genus Galago:

* ORDER PRIMATES
* Suborder Strepsirrhini: non-tarsier prosimians
* Family Cheirogaleidae: dwarf and mouse lemurs
* Family Lemuridae: lemurs
* Family Lepilemuridae: sportive lemurs
* Family Indridae: wooly lemurs and allies
* Family Daubentoniidae: Aye-aye
* Family Lorisidae: lorises, pottos and allies
* Family Galagidae: galagos
* Genus Otolemur : greater galagos
* Genus Euoticus : needle-clawed bushbabies
* Genus Galago : bushbabies

* Suborder Haplorrhini: tarsiers, monkeys and apes

http://www.answers.com/bush baby&r=67

According to the above information I don\'t think koalas and kangaroos are considered/belong to the family of \'bush babies\'.



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Note added at 2005-11-08 00:14:29 (GMT)
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You can compare the scientific classification about koalas to see the difference:

Koala

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Subclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Suborder: Vombatiformes
Family: Phascolarctidae
Genus: Phascolarctos
Species: P. cinereus

Binomial name
Phascolarctos cinereus
Goldfuss, 1817
Peer comment(s):

agree Bianca Jacobsohn
1 min
Thank you, Blanca! ¶:^)
agree Dave Calderhead
3 mins
Thank you, Dave! ¶:^)
agree humbird
25 mins
Thank you, humbird! ¶:^)
agree Elizabeth Lyons : Definitely primates : )
33 mins
Thank you, Elizabeth! ¶:^)
neutral Refugio : Hola, Osito. I think that the animal you refer to is called a bushbaby (one word). By writing it as two words they may broaden the meaning.
2 hrs
Hola Ruth, please look at my refs. closely. Both names (bushbaby=one word and bush baby=two words) give the same definition. Therefore, they must be synonymous. ¶:^)
agree jennifer newsome (X)
2 hrs
Thank you, jennifer! ¶:^)
agree Alexandra Tussing
3 hrs
Thank you, Alexandra! ¶:^)
agree Freimanis
7 hrs
Thank you, Freimanis! ¶:^)
agree Jörgen Slet
1 day 22 mins
Thank you, Jörgen! ¶:^)
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