They have big, bright, forward-facing eyes that are colored orange with black pupils. They have large, gray ears and short snouts with a white strip between their eyes. Their body fur can be grayish-white, brown, or reddish-brown.  

Southern lesser galagos are about the size of a large squirrel. Adults have a head and body length that is about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long. Their tail stretches up to one-and-a-half times as long as their body, at 9 inches (23 centimeters) long! Males tend to be a little bit bigger than females.

Savannah woodlands of southern Africa. A large part of the southern lesser galago’s diet is the gum that oozes from certain types of trees—especially the Vachellia karroo, also known as the common acacia or sweet thorn—so they are often found near those. 

They can live up to 16 years.

These primates have a wide variety of vocalizations that they use to communicate with each other, including chirps, barks, clicks and hoots. They have a loud whistling call that they use to alert other galagos when danger is nearby.

Southern lesser galagos wake up at sunset to feed and eat sporadically through the night. Their diet is mostly made up of insects, such as butterflies, moths and beetles, as well as tree gum and fruit. They are particularly fond of the gum of acacia trees. They have rough, narrow tongues that allow them to harvest the gum more easily. This gum is hard to digest for most animals, but southern lesser galagos have a specialized digestive system that allows them to process it.

Southern lesser galagos sleep during the daytime and are active at night. Their big eyes give them excellent night vision, allowing them to navigate dense tree canopies with ease. During the daytime they often sleep with other galagos in nests made in tree hollows or cavities. 

They live in pairs or in small family groups, although they forage for food independently. Dominant males have territory that overlaps with several different females, and they will defend this territory from other males. Like other galagos, male members of this species coat their hands and feet with their own urine to spread their scent throughout their territory as well as on the fur of other galagos in their social group.

Southern lesser galagos are polygynous, meaning that a dominant male will often mate with several different females that live inside of his territory. Mating seasons occur twice per year, with females giving birth either in January and February or October and November. Females usually produce sets of twins, and are capable of giving birth twice in a year. They build leafy nests inside of tree hollows and cavities and keep their babies inside these nests. Males do not help raise the young.  

Babies are born with their eyes open and are mobile after about 11 days. The mother will hide her babies in a tangle of vegetation while she forages for food. They are weaned after about 90 days and are ready to venture out on their own when they reach sexual maturity at 9 or 10 months old. 

Overall, southern lesser galagoes are not considered threatened. Populations appear to be holding steady and may even be increasing in some parts of their range. Some local groups may be threatened by habitat loss, capture for the pet trade, and predation from larger animals such as mongooses, snakes, owls and other primates.