Facts and Features of Baboon

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Primates

Family: Cercopithecidae

Genre: Papio

Scientific Name: Papio

Common name: Baboon

Other name (s): Olive Baboon, Yellow Baboon, Guinea Baboon, chacma, Hamadryad

Group: Mammal

Number of species: 5

Location: Western Africa and Arabia

Habitat: Grasslands, rocky desert and jungle

Color: Green, Yellow, Gray, Silver, Brown, Black

Skin Type: Hair

Size (H): 50cm - 86cm (20 inches - 34in)

Weight: 14 kg - 45 kg (30 lbs - 100 lbs)

Maximum speed: 45kph (30 mph)

Diet: Omnivore

Prey: fruits, seeds, insects

Predators: lion, leopard, African wild dog

Lifestyle: Daytime

Group Behavior: Troop

Life Span: 15 - 40 years

Age of sexual maturity: 5 - 7 years

Gestation period: 170 days

Avg Litter Size: 1

Young Name: Infant

Weaning age: 6 months

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Estimated Population Size: Decrease

Major Threat: Hunting and habitat loss

Most distinctive feature: Dog-like snout and long tail, bent

Fun Fact: Can travel more than four miles per day!

Classification and Evolution of Baboon

The baboon is a medium large species of Old World monkey found in a variety of different habitats throughout Africa and in parts of Arabia. There are five different species of Baboon are olive baboon , the Guinea baboon , the Chacma Baboon , yellow baboons and Hamadryas baboon differs most from the other wide face is bright red and cliff dwelling lifestyle ( the other four species are collectively identified  as savanna baboons ) . However, there is some discussion on the classification of different species due to the fact that some have been known to cross-breed , indicating that they would be sub - species rather than . Baboons are highly social and intelligent animals that are known to form strong relationships with other members of the troop that often last a lifetime . They are also very adaptable animals , but their population numbers are declining throughout their natural range mainly due to hunting and habitat loss.

Anatomy and Appearance of Baboon

Baboons are big and burly who spend most of their time on the ground. They have large heads with long, dog like muzzle and cheeks - food storage bags with a heavy brow protect your eyes. Males tend to be twice the size of females and have wickedly sharp teeth that help them defend the troops from danger, but its exact size depends on the species with the Chacma baboon being the largest , while Guinea Baboon is the smallest species . Baboons are wild-looking skin with a long mane that extends over the shoulders and hairless patches on the face and rumps, which are filled with hard skin . Its color varies from olive - green to yellow, silver and brown depending on the species . Also have a distinct curvature at the base of its long tail .

Distribution and Habitat of Baboon

Baboons found throughout the African continent and today , although still widespread, its natural range continues to decline. Baboons are found in a variety of habitats, including savannas , thickets , rocky deserts and forests wherever there is supply of water. The Hamadryas found in rocky deserts in the hills bordering the Red Sea coast , in the northeast of Africa and in parts of the western Arabian peninsula . The olive baboon is the most widespread species , with a range that extends from west to east across a wide range of habitats , while the Guinea Baboon is limited to a small region in the west. The yellow baboon is located in the east and the largest species , the Chacma Baboon is also found in south, with a range that covers the southern tip of Africa.

 Behavior & Lifestyle of Baboon

Baboons are social animals that live in large groups that may be very different in size and may contain a few hundred members. Baboon group consists of men and women with their young and strong bonds by eating, sleeping and roaming together. During the day they divide into smaller groups of 4 or 5 females and young , which is led by a dominant male trying to keep other males away. The Hamadryas Baboon however, live in much smaller groups of about 12 females and an alpha male. Baboons live together for protection and are constantly on the lookout for dangerous predators , especially when outdoors. If a threat is detected then they make a loud noise and while the males attack, women and young people run into the safety of the trees . Baboons communicate with each other in a variety of different ways, including voice calls , facial expressions and signalling with their tails.

 Reproduction and Life Cycles of Baboon

Baboons reproduces  throughout the year and as they do not have a strict breeding season, there are peaks of mating and births at certain times of the year ( depending on location ) . When a female is ready to mate , the dominant male of his sub - group will defend his right to mate with her fiercely, but despite their efforts , female baboons make sex with several males in the group for their lives . After a gestation period that lasts about 6 months , the baboon female gives birth to a single baby skin instantly grabs her and holds her. At birth, young baboons are contrasting colors to their parents and are tolerated by group until they molt and grow their adult coat after about two months. Young females stay with their mother and the two often form close ties throughout their lives , while males are expelled from group and are forced to try to prove themselves to another group.

Diet and Prey of Baboon

Baboons are omnivorous animal known to eat a wide variety of both plant material and small animals. Fruits , seeds, roots and flowers are strong most of their diet , besides insects, eggs , lizards and rodents. However, its size and power also means that sometimes hunt and kill larger prey such as young gazelles . In areas where human settlements are encroaching on their natural habitat , baboons are also known to attack the field which had directed towards often seen as pests. Baboons have teeth similar to those with a number of large flat molars that are perfect for grinding vegetation and food surpluses can be stored in their cheek pouches flexible to be saved for later .

Predators and Threats of Baboon

Because of its size and the fact that the baboons spend most of his life soil surface, which are preyed by many predators throughout their natural range . Wild animals , like lions , leopards and cheetahs are the most common predators of  Baboon , along with large pythons, African wild dogs and birds of prey that hunt smaller young . However, people pose the greatest threat to the baboons , as they often are persecuted and killed for their meat and even thrown by farmers consider them pests , fearing for their crops . His numbers are even more affected by the loss of their natural habitats , once large , who are being subjected to deforestation for agriculture or land clearing for grazing and growing human settlements .

Interesting Facts and Features of Baboon

Although baboons retreat to the safety of the trees to sleep at night , spend most of the rest of his life on soil and wander through their range in search of food and water. It is known to walk many miles a day and just stop in the shade to get out of the midday sun, and are able to travel more than four miles between sunrise and sunset. Like many other primates , baboons participate in social grooming , picking parasites , dead skin and dirt from others skin. This not only strengthens the social bonds within the troop , but also highlights the status of  single, with the baboon being prepared with a higher status in the troop than who is grooming them .For male outsiders to be accepted into the troops , they have to form a relationship with one of the females until they are confirmed by others. This process can take months, but the couple are often known to remain very close friends for life.

Relationship of Baboons with Human Being

The baboons have adapted well to growing human populations throughout their natural range , but the fact that often attack crops has led to them being persecuted by farmers. They are also hunted and eaten as bushmeat in many areas of their regions of origin, but it is their dwindling habitat that is causing the most trouble. Vast areas of forest are cleared every day to make room for agriculture or to start tropical wood , which means that the baboons have less areas where they can sleep safely in trees. Grasslands are also decreasing in size as the earth turned to livestock for grazing or used for settlement expansion in growth.

Status and Life of Baboon Today

Today, four species of Baboon are listed by IUCN as a species that is least concern for extinction in the wild in the near future . The Guinea Baboon appears as a near threatened species . However, despite still being relatively wide , population numbers are declining in all species due to hunting and habitat loss , with populations in certain areas quickly becoming more and more differentiated from each other .They are found along many of the parks and reserves where they play a vital role in maintaining  ecosystem .