Perodicticus potto
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The West African potto (Perodicticus potto) is a species of nocturnal strepsirrhine primate. It is found in tropical West Africa. It is also known as Bosman's potto, after Willem Bosman, who described the species in 1704. It is the type species of the genus Perodicticus.
This species was formerly considered the only species in the genus Perodicticus, but a 2015 study split it into three species, with only the name Perodicticus potto only applying to the West African population. Within the West African potto group (Perodicticus potto), current taxonomy recognizes two main subspecies:
Perodicticus potto potto: The nominate subspecies. It inhabits the rainforests of West Africa, from Guinea and Sierra Leone to Ghana. Perodicticus potto juju (Benin potto): Proposed as a subspecies found east of the Volta River in Ghana. Some experts suggest it could also merit separate species status due to its cranial and dental variations.
Phylogenetic evidence supports the West African potto being the most basal member of the genus Perodicticus, with the other two species being sister species to one another. It is thought to have diverged from the other species during the mid-late Miocene... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taï National Park | 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Franklin Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a West African Potto sighting in Taï National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 14 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a West African Potto in Taï National Park on a given day, against about 10% in March, July and September, the lowest months. That is one of Taï National Park's wettest months, with about 280 mm of rain against 40 mm in December. October to February have too few records to rate.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most West African Potto sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Taï National Park, in our data
Taï National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate West African Potto sightings: about 40% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Primates
The closest relatives of the West African Potto that you can see in Taï National Park (order Primates) are Western Red Colobus (about 60%), Smoky Mangabey (about 50%) and Diana Monkey (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the West African Potto is recorded against all the mammals logged in Taï National Park (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
