Head and body length of G. senegalensis is 120-200 mm, tail length is 180-300 mm, and weights range between 125-300 grams. The dense woolly fur is long and slightly wavy and is silvery gray to brown with light underparts. There are four transverse ridges on the ears, allowing the bushbaby to wrinkle them down at the tips or the base independently. The long digits of all four feet have disk like pads at each tip to aid with grasping and climbing. With the exception of a sharp grooming claw on each hind foot, the digits all have flattened nails. Females have four pair of mammae.

G. senegalensis is found in a variety of ecosystems including open woodlands, scrub, wooded savannahs, and grasslands with thickets. Females build nests in dense foliage, sometimes using abandoned birds nests. The nests are used both for shelter and giving birth. The diet consists mostly of acacia gums and insects, which they catch with their hands.

Estrous cycles average about 32 days and there are two distinct breeding periods each year which vary with distribution. The gestation period is 120-126 days and twins are usually born, but litters may be 1-3 offspring. Each young weighs about 12 grams at birth and is fully furred with open eyes. At 10 or 11 days of age they first leave the nest and are at 4 weeks are able to catch insects on their own. G. senegalensis reaches sexual maturity at about 10 months of age. At this time the males leave their mothers, but females may stay longer.

They communicate vocally by clicking sounds to call the mother, and a louder version of this call is used be adults to gather at a sleeping site. To call over a long distance or in a territorial dispute, a loud bark is often used and an high pitched alarm call warns others of approaching danger. Another form of communication is by smell. Dominant males will wash their hands and feet with urine, disseminating it as they travel among the trees.

G. senegalensis is found in savannah and forest savannah zones from Senegal to Somalia, south to the Mwanza and Ankole districts on Lake Victoria.