Baboon
From Freepedia
- For other uses, see Baboon (disambiguation).
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| Image:Olive baboon.jpg Olive Baboon (Papio anubis) | ||||||||||||
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| Simia hamadryas Linnaeus, 1758 | ||||||||||||
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Papio hamadryas |
The Baboon is the largest non-hominid member of the primate order. In modern scientific use, only members of the genus Papio are called baboons, but previously the closely related Gelada and two species of Mandrill and Drill (now classified in genera Theropithecus and Mandrillus) were grouped in the same genus, and these monkeys are still often referred to as baboons in everyday speech. Papio belongs to family Cercopithecidae, in subfamily Cercopithecinae.
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Physiology
All baboons have long dog-like muzzles (cynocephalus = dog-head), close-set eyes, heavy powerful jaws, thick fur except on their muzzle, short tail and often brightly coloured ischial callosities (rear-ends).
There is considerable variation in size and weight depending on species, the Chacma Baboon can be 120 cm (47 inches) and weigh 40 kg (90 lb) while the biggest Guinea Baboon is 50 cm (20 inches) and weighs only 14 kg (30 lb).
In all baboon species there is pronounced sexual dimorphism, usually in size but also sometimes in colour or canine development.
Baboons are terrestrial (ground dwelling) and are found in savanna, open woodland and hills across Africa. Their diet is omnivorous, but is usually vegetarian. They are foragers and are active at irregular times throughout the day and night. They can raid human dwellings and in South Africa they have been known to prey on sheep and goats.
Their principal predators are man and the leopard, although they are tough prey for a leopard and large males will often confront them.
Baboons in captivity have been known to live up to 45 years, while in the wild their life expectancy is about 30 years.
Society
Baboons live in hierarchical troops of 5 to 250 animals (50 or so is common), depending on species and time of year. The structure within the troop varies considerably between hamadryas baboons and the remaining species, collectively referred to as savanna baboons: individual hamadryas baboon males maintain small harems, to which females from elsewhere in the troop are recruited while still to young to breed, while savannah baboons have a more open structure in which females tend to consort in matrilines, and the adult males maintain a loose hierarchy. The hamadryas group will typically include a younger male, but he will not attempt to mate with the females unless the older male is removed.
Baboons can determine from vocal exchanges what the dominance relations between individuals are. When a confrontation occurs between different families or where a lower-ranking baboon takes the offensive, baboons show more interest in the exchange than exchanges between members of the same family or when a higher-ranking baboon takes the offensive. This is because confrontations between different families or rank challenges can have a wider impact on the whole troop than an internal conflict in a family or a baboon reinforcing its dominance. (Bergman, et. al, 2003)
Mating and birth
Baboon mating behavior varies greatly depending on the social structure. In mixed groups, each male can mate with any female. The allowed mating order among the males depends partially on the ranking, and fights between males are not unusual.
There are however also subtler possibilities; some males try to win the "friendship" of some females. To garner this friendship, they may help groom the female, help care for her young, or supply them with food. Some females actually prefer such "friendly" males as mates.
Females initiate mating by presenting her swollen rump to the male.
In harems, the males jealously guard their females, to the point of grabbing and biting the females if they even approach other males. Despite this, some males will raid harems in search of a female. In such situations it often comes to aggressive fights by the males. Some males succeed in taking a female from another's harem.
Usually every other year, and after an approximately six month gestation, the female gives birth to a single young. The young baboon weighs approximately one kilogram and is colored black. The females tend to be the primary caretaker of the young, although several females will share the duties for all of their offspring.
In mixed groups males sometimes help in caring for the young of the females they are "friendly" with, for instance they gather food for them and play with them. The probability is high that those young are their offspring. After about one year, the young animals are weaned. They reach sexual maturity in five to eight years.
Nearly all baboons from harems and males from mixed groups leave their birth group, usually before they reach sexual maturity.
Cultural importance
The Hamadryas Baboon was a sacred animal to the ancient Egyptians as the attendant of Thoth, and so, is also called the Sacred Baboon. The English word Baboon is thought to derive from that of the Egyptian baboon-god Babi.
Classification
There are five recognised species of Papio, although there is some disagreement about whether they are really full species or subspecies. They are P. ursinus (Chacma Baboon, found in southern Africa), P. papio (Western or Guinea Baboon, found in Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea), P. hamadryas (Hamadryas Baboon, found in north-east Africa and into south-western Arabia), P. anubis (Olive Baboon, found in central African savanna) and P. cynocephalus (Yellow Baboon, found in Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia). Many authors distinguish P. hamadryas as a full species, but regard all the others as subspecies of P. papio and refer to them collectively as "savanna baboons"; even between Hamadryas Baboons and the neighbouring savanna populations there is a stable zone of hybridisation.
Species list
Genus Papio
- Hamadryas or Sacred Baboon, Papio hamadryas
- Guinea Baboon, Papio papio
- Olive Baboon, Papio anubis
- Yellow Baboon, Papio cynocephalus
- Chacma Baboon, Papio ursinus
See also
External references
- Bergman TJ, Beehner JC, Cheney DL, Seyfarth RM (2003). Hierarchical classification by rank and kinship in baboons. Science 302 (Nov. 14): 1234-1236. PMID 14615544
External links
This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, which is in the public domain.
