Thick-Tailed Bushbaby
Usana Lwasendle Olunomsila Otyebileyo

© Roger De la Harpe

Ukubonakala

I-bushbaby enomsila yeyona ntlobo inkulu kakhulu ye-galago. Ubunzima nobukhulu bomzimba ukusuka kwi-297 ukuya kwi-373 mm, kunye nobude bomsila, ukusuka kwi-415 ukuya kwi-473 mm. Ubunzima bomzimba bubunzima besini kunye neendoda zinkhulu kakhulu kunamabhinqa. Umbala wazo ubomvu nobumnyama obunobumba obunzulu obuphantsi kwimibala engaphantsi. Ubomvu buninzi, uboya obude, waye butya ngokuchazwa njengengenanto. Ziqhele ukukhupha iindlebe zazo zisebenzisa iindlebe zazo kakhulu ukuva ezinye izilwanyana. Amehlo a phambili atsolo kwaye aphezulu. Njengokuba kunjalo neentlobo ezininzi ze-galago, zikhona iidiski ezicwangcisiweyo zefele esiqingqiweyo ekupheleni kweminwe kunye neenzwane ezinceda ekubambeni izintho. Iminwe inde, kwaye iinzwane zicatshulwa ngezikhonkwane ezicwecwe.

Ukutya

I-bushbabies e-nomsila i-tackbabies i-strack-tailed ixhepha kwaye ixhamla, iyaziwa ngokutya iinambuzane. Kwisifundo eMzantsi Afrika, malunga ne-62% yokutya kwazo kwakuyizinsini, zongezwa ziziqhamo kunye nezinambuzane. E-Gauteng, South Africa, inambuzane iqikelelwe ukuba i-5% yokutya, ngelixa i-Kenya inambuzane ingabangela i-50-70% yokutya. Enye inambuzane enokuthi isebenze njengesondlo sokutya kwangexesha elide, i-Macrotermes falcigar. Xa ezi zithintelo zisefenini (i-winged), i-bush-tailed bushbabies ziye zagcinwa zisitya ngaphandle komhlaba ngaphandle kokusebenzisa izandla. Ngokuqhelekileyo ukutya kwabo kubandakanya, izinambuzane, iziqhamo, amaqabunga, iintyatyambo, izilwanyana, amaqanda kunye neentaka.

Ukuzala

Ixesha lokuzalwa le-bushbaby enomsila otyebileyo lixhomekeka ngokuya kwendawo. Kuphela kuNovemba eGauteng kwaye kwenzeka ngo-Agasti noSeptemba eZambia. Iziganeko eziphambili kwiAgasti eZanzibar nasePemba. Umjikelo wesetyhini uhlala malunga neentsuku eziyi-44. Ubunzima beentsuku eziyi-133 Emva kokuzalwa, amabhinqa aya kushiya abancinci emthini ngelixa besuka baya kutsho. Bavelisa ubisi obunamandla obuninzi xa kuthelekiswa nezilwanyana ezinobuncwane. Oku kunxulumene nendlela yabo yokuphila njengemilenze ye-anthropoid ithwala incinci yabo ngexesha loku-ncancisa kwaye le galago ayifuni.
Le ntlobo ibeleka kanye ngonyaka, xa izityalo zinzima. Nangona ekuthinjweni kuye kwaxelwa ukuba le ntlobo iqhubekile, iyakwazi ukuzala unyaka wonke kwaye ingabi nonyaka wokuzalwa itheni. Izilwanyana zenziwa kwiindawo zokulima. Olunye usana luzalwa ngexesha lokuba le ntlobo yamawele ayibonakali. Abancinane banconywa ekuqaleni kwexesha elibi kakhulu. Iintsana zizimela koomama phakathi kweveki yesine neyesisihlanu zobomi. Zibini zesini zifikelela ekuvuthweni malunga neenyanga eziyi-20 ubudala.

Indlela yokuziphatha

Le yona ntlalontle yazo zonke iintlobo ze-bushbabies ezaziwayo. Le entlobo, ngokungafani nezinye iigalagines, ihamba i-quadrupedally emahlathini. Xa le ntlobo iqhuma, ihamba ngemigca yokuqala. Xa kufuneka ihambe ehlabathini kwiindawo ezivulekileyo phakathi kwe-canopy, le ntlobo iya kupheka. Zisebenzela umyinge weeyure eziyi-9 neyesigamu ngosuku ehlotyeni kunye neeyure ezilishumi elinesibini ngemini ebusika. Le yintlobo yokuhlwaya, kunye nesini esasasazeka kwindawo yokuzalwa. Amadoda aya kusasazeka ngakumbi kwaye esemncinci kunawebhinqa, ngoko akulula kwamadoda kwiindawo ezinikezelweyo ziguquka ngaphezu kwamabhinqa.

Amadoda angasasazeka ngaphezu kwamabhinqa ukwenzela ukunciphisa iingxaki ezivela DA kuzaliswa. Amadoda kunye namabhinqa aneemigangatho engapheliyo kwiBushbaby ezineminyaka efanayo, kodwa zikwahlula hlula ezincinane okanye ezindala. Amadoda banamacandelo asekhaya alalayo omnye okanye amabhinqa angaphezulu. Le ntlobo Inendlela yayo yokuxhatshazwa. I-tailed bushbaby ibonisa intanethi yentlalo ngaphandle kwesakhiwo seqela elisebenzayo. Amabhinqa aphezulu kule ntlobo. Amadoda amadala afumaneka ukuba alandele amabhinqa angaphezulu ekuthinjweni kunokuba amabhinqa alandelwe ngamadoda. Abafazi nabo babanjwe ekuthinjweni bafunyaniswa ukuba benze ngokunyanisekileyo emadodeni

Ukudlala kweentlalo kwiindawo ezinobungqingili ezinqamlekileyo kubandakanya ukuhamba elahleka, ukugxothwa, ngokukhwaza umsila, ukulwa, ukungabikho kwenxholo kunye nokukhwaza. Kwiintsana ezi ndlela zendlela yokuziphatha zifumaneka ngomhla wokuqala wokuphila. Iintsana zidlala ngakumbi xa zihlakulela ukuzimela koomama ngeveki yesine neyesisihlanu zobomi. Zilale ezihlalweni ezinemitha eziyi-5-12 ehlabathini. I-bushbaby enqambileyo ilala ndawonye emini, kodwa iyahlukana ebusuku ukuze ibhaqe. Ziye zifunyanwa ukuba zithuthele kwiikhilomitha enye ebusuku. Zihlala kumaqela amancinci wobumbo-2-6.

Ukubunjwa kweli qela kuyahluka. Ingaba ngomdala kunye nabaselula, amabini amabhinqa amakhulu kunye nabaselula, okanye omnye umfazi omdala onomncinane. Abadala bahlala kwindawo kwaye bafuna iindawo zasemakhaya ezithatha iindidi zasekhaya zamabhinqa. Izihlahla ezinqabileyo ezinamaqabunga zithatha izandla zazo zenzele indebe, kwaye zibeke umchamo phezu kwazo. Emva koko bathabatha umchamo baze basasaze kwiindawo ezinyaweni. Xa lihamba, lishiya umchamo omncinci kwi-substrate. Umvini wamadoda-uhlambe rhoqo ngaphezu kwezilwanyana, kwaye eyebhinqa i-Estrus, indoda iya kufaka umchamo ngokuthe ngqo kumabhinqa, kodwa zonke iiklasi zeeminyaka ziqhuba lo msebenzi. I-bushbaby enomsila iya kuhlamba xa ihlala kwindawo entsha, ikhangele into engaqhelekanga, ngexesha lokudibana kunye nohlambuluko loluntu. Oku kuqhubela phambili kuninzi lwazo.
Iintlobo ezihlambulukileyo ze-bushbabies zifumaneka kumazwe aseSomalia, eKenya, eTanzania naseziqithini zaseZanzibar. Ezi zilwanyana zihlala emahlathini naselunxwemeni. Ezi ntlobo nazo zihlala kumahlathi emlambo. I-galago e-thick-tailed, okanye i-bushbaby, ifumaneka eMpuma Afrika ukusuka eSouth Sudan ukuya empuma ye-Afrika kunye nakumazantsi e-Angola. Kwaye kwafika ngo-1974 kuphela iintlobo ezintandathu ezithe zaqatshelwa, kodwa ngo-1995 uphando lubonise ukuba ngokwenene izilwanyana eziyi-17 zifunyenwe e-Afrika. Njengoko iifama ezininzi ze-Afrika zijongwa ngokwesayensi kwaye njengoko ubugcisa bezesayensi buphucula, ukufunyanwa kweentlobo ezitsha kuqhubekeka.