Baboon

A mighty snout that sticks out almost like a dog’s, large canine teeth, a thick coat, and a strong build are the hallmarks of the baboons.

Characteristics

What do baboons look like?

Baboons are a genus of monkeys and belong to the monkey family. They measure from head to bottom between 40 and 115 centimeters. Basically, the males are much larger and heavier than the females. The large, forward-pointing snout and the huge canine teeth are striking. The males have particularly powerful canine teeth and, depending on the species, a mane on the neck and around the shoulders. The tail is slightly shorter than the body, measuring up to 80 centimeters in the largest specimens.

The fur of the baboons is dense and rough and colored differently depending on the species. The males of the Hamadryas baboons are silver, those of the Steppe baboons yellowish-blond, the Anusbisbaboon is olive-colored, the Chakras baboon is brownish. The females are usually colored slightly differently than the males. The snout is hairless in all baboons. The buttocks are also hairless and usually conspicuously colored. At the time of reproduction, it swells in females and its color becomes even brighter.

Where do baboons live?

Baboons live exclusively in Africa. They are distributed from Egypt and Sudan to South Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Baboons are absent only in northwestern Africa and Madagascar. Baboons live in light gallery forests, in savannas and steppes, but also in semi-deserts and in rocky regions.

What types of baboons are there?

There are five different baboon species that are closely related: the Hamadryas baboon lives in Northeast Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula. The fur of the males is silvery-white, the females are brownish.

The olive baboon has an olive green coat and is the most widespread. It occurs from Mali and Ethiopia to Tanzania. The steppe baboon is yellowish in color and lives in eastern and southern Africa. The smallest species is the Guinea baboon. It is only found in western Africa from Mali and Mauritania to Guinea and Senegal.

The largest species is the chacma baboon, which lives in southern Africa. It has dark brown to grey-brown fur, the males measure up to 115 centimeters and weigh up to 31 kilograms. The chacma baboon lives from Angola through Zambia to Namibia and South Africa. In some places, especially in South Africa, chakras baboons have become a real nuisance, devastating plantations and even entering homes in search of food.

How old do baboons get?

Baboons live up to 30 years in the wild and up to 45 years in captivity.

Behave

How do baboons live?

Baboons spend a lot of time on the ground looking for food. The animals are good walkers and can cover up to 20 kilometers in a day. But baboons are also good climbers. At night they retreat to trees or rocks to sleep. The strange position of the tail is typical: the first third protrudes vertically upwards, the other two-thirds hang down.

Baboons are diurnal. They are very sociable, curious, and playful and live in groups. These groups can consist of as little as five animals, but can also include 40 to 80, or in extreme cases up to 250 animals. Either several males and females form a mixed group, or a male lives together with several females. Such groups are mainly found in hamadryas baboons, they are called harem groups. The male jealously watches over his females and hardly takes his eyes off them.

For example, steppe and Anubis baboons live in mixed groups. In these groups, the females usually remain in the group their entire lives. Their ranking is determined by age and kinship. For example, mothers are always above their daughters.

The young males leave the group when they become sexually mature. In the harem groups, both male and female juveniles leave the group just before they become sexually mature. The young males then look for a new group in which they try to gain a place in violent fights with the males living there. Or they follow another group and try to lure females away.

The third possibility involves a male teaming up with some young females who have left their group. It takes care of them and mates with them. Several such groups can form a large group of 150-250 animals. Between the individual groups, however, there are always fights for sleeping places as well as for food and water.

Baboons communicate with each other in a variety of ways: via sounds, posture, facial expressions, or physical contact. For example, they show the other their buttocks and thus express that they are subordinate to the other animal. When females present their rump, which is bright red and thickly swollen, to the male during the breeding season, the signal is that they are ready to mate.

If baboons are threatening or if they want to scare off enemies such as predators, they show their mighty canine teeth. They also stare at their peers or yawn to threaten them. Animals that are lower in the hierarchy groom the fur of higher-ranking animals, showing that they are subordinate. Males, in turn, groom the females’ fur when they want to mate with them.

Friends and foes of the baboon

All big cats of prey such as lions, jaguars, or cheetahs are among the enemies of baboons. But chimpanzees can also be dangerous to them. But baboons usually put up a strong fight. They attack attackers with their canine teeth, inflicting large wounds on them. It even happens that they attack people.

How do baboons reproduce?

Female baboons usually only give birth to one young every two years. In mixed groups, males can mate with all females, usually in the order of their rank. In harem groups, only the leading male mates. It drives away any males that approach the group. Sometimes, however, an unfamiliar male manages to mate with a female of the harem group in an unobserved moment.

A female gives birth to a young six months after mating. It weighs about one kilogram at birth and has black fur. In addition to the mother, other females in the group also take care of the offspring. In mixed groups, some males also take care of the little ones. Young baboons are nursed by their mother for about a year. They become sexually mature at the age of five to eight years.

How do baboons communicate?

Baboons let out a high-pitched screech when they want to warn of enemies or scare them away. Growling sounds are intended to intimidate fellow animals.

Care

What do baboons eat?

Although baboons are omnivores, they mainly live vegetarian on leaves, roots, fruits, seeds, and grasses. However, they do not disdain insects and even small vertebrates. Sometimes they even hunt other monkeys like monkeys or even kill small gazelles. Baboons can also cope with dry food and can therefore colonize habitats that are no longer suitable for other monkeys.