In my **new paper**, out now in Folia Primatologica, I shed light on the nocturnal feeding habits of the Southern Lesser Bushbaby (Galago moholi), documenting observations and experiments made during fieldwork in South Africa. tinyurl.com/bushbaby-diet ...Scroll for more #bushbaby pics 👀👇 🧵 1/8

Much remains unknown about our #primate relatives. E.g./ Though #insects are a key dietary component for many #nocturnal species, we still have little idea of: • which taxa are eaten, and why • individual/population/seasonal variation in preferences • the #sensory stimuli used to find them 🧵 2/8

Observing/testing predation of different prey items, I found that: • Moths were always consumed • Insects with distasteful or noxious secretions (Shield/Stink Bugs) were avoided • Beetles were closely examined before consumption, and only some eaten --> clear, species-level prey choice 🐒🐞🦋 🧵 4/8

Previous evidence is mixed, with some reports emphasising a primary role for Lepidoptera in the diet, others suggesting Coleoptera and Orthoptera are most important (e.g. Harcourt, 1986). I observed G. moholi easily catch Lepidoptera mid-flight, including strong fliers such as hawk-moths. 🧵 5/8

Furthermore, manipulative experiments using Male Driver Ants 🐜 -- a popular prey item -- suggested that while visual movement was a key driver of prey-finding behaviour in G. moholi, sound made prey items particularly attractive and increased the incidence of targeting for feeding. 🧵 6/8

Sound may act as an important proxy for prey size in nocturnal feeding behaviour. Bushbaby vocalisations are usually confined to social contexts, but I also made novel observations of vocalisations associated with solo foraging 🗣️👇 🧵 7/8