True or False – Bush babies urinate on their hands

True!

Recently, a friend’s daughter from Dubai questioned whether these wild animals were in fact, genuinely real life! This led to the quirky story we know about bush babies that gives everyone a little giggle.

Bush babies do urinate on their feet. This behaviour, known as “urine-washing,” involves the bush baby urinating into its cupped hands and then wiping the urine onto the soles of its feet.

The primary reason for this is territorial marking: as bush babies leap and move through the trees, they leave their scent behind, signaling to others that the area is occupied. This scent-marking helps them establish and maintain territories and avoid conflicts with other individuals.

Additionally, this behaviour can play a role in social interactions, such as males marking females or during encounters with unfamiliar objects or areas.

1. Bushbabies, also known as galagos, are small nocturnal primates native to sub-Saharan Africa, recognized for their large, round eyes that provide excellent night vision.
2. They are exceptional jumpers, capable of leaping up to 2.5 meters (about 8 feet) or even 10 feet in a single bound, thanks to their powerful hind legs which make up about a quarter of their body weight
3. Bushbabies are named for their distinctive vocalizations, which sound like a crying human baby; these calls are used for communication and territory marking.
4. Their diet is varied and omnivorous, including insects, fruits, tree gum, nectar, and sometimes small vertebrates such as birds or reptiles.
5. Bushbabies are arboreal, spending most of their lives in trees, and have specialized adaptations like elongated fingers, a “tooth comb” for grooming, and strong grip to help them move and feed in their forest habitats.

The next time you’re on a night drive in Southern Africa, ask your guide to look out for these animals whom often will hide in thatch shelters near camp but are often found leaping from branch to branch in the thick bush.