The needle-clawed bushbabies are the two

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

''Euoticus'', which is in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Galagidae Galagos , also known as bush babies, or ''nagapies'' (meaning "night monkeys" in Afrikaans), are small nocturnal primates native to continental, sub-Sahara Africa, and make up the family Galagidae (also sometimes called Galagonidae). They are ...

. Galagidae is sometimes included as a subfamily within the

Lorisidae Lorisidae (or sometimes Loridae) is a family of strepsirrhine primates. The lorisids are all slim arboreal animals and comprise the lorises, pottos and angwantibos. Lorisids live in tropical, central Africa as well as in south and southeast As ...

(or Loridae). * Genus ''Euoticus'' **

Southern needle-clawed bushbaby The southern needle-clawed bushbaby (''Euoticus elegantulus'') is a species of strepsirrhine primate in the family Galagidae. Found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, and possibly Democratic Republic of the Congo, its n ...

, ''E. elegantulus'' **

Northern needle-clawed bushbaby The northern needle-clawed bushbaby (''Euoticus pallidus'') is a species of strepsirrhine primate in the family Galagidae. It is found in the coastal region of Cameroon and Nigeria, and on the island of Bioko, Equatorial Guinea in lower-elevation ...

, ''E. pallidus'' *** ''E. p. pallidus'' *** ''E. p. talboti'' Unique to the needle-clawed bushbaby are the keeled nails, featuring prominent central ridges ending in needle-like points, present on all digits except the thumbs, the big toes, and the second foot phalanges which have claws. The first specimen of ''E. elegantulus'' to arrive in Europe from Africa was brought by

Gerald Durrell Gerald Malcolm Durrell, (7 January 1925 – 30 January 1995) was a British naturalist, writer, zookeeper, conservationist, and television presenter. He founded the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Jersey Zoo on the Channel Island o ...

. The uncovering of this bush baby is documented in his 1957 book ''A Zoo in My Luggage''.

References

External links

Primate Info Net ''Euoticus'' Factsheets
Galagidae Galagos Taxa named by John Edward Gray Taxa described in 1863 {{primate-stub