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Physical Characteristics
Of all the primates in East Africa, the baboon is the one that most
frequently interacts with humans. Like humans, baboons are
the most adaptable of the ground-dwelling primates and live
in a wide variety of environments. Intelligent and crafty,
they can be agricultural pests and can cause havoc to crops,
so they are treated as pests rather than wildlife if they
are found outside gazetted parks.
Their are two most common baboons that can be found in East
Africa; the olive
baboon and the
yellow baboon.
The Olive baboon is larger and darker and is found in
Uganda, west and central Kenya and northern Tanzania. The
Yellow baboon is smaller, more slender and lighter in color,
and inhabits the southern and coastal parts of Kenya
and Tanzania. Both types are "dog faced," but the Yellow
baboon's nose curls up more than the olive's.
Habitat
Baboons are found in diverse and varied habitats and are
extremely adaptable. The major requirements for any habitat
seems to be the availability of water sources and safe
sleeping places. Sleeping places can either be tall trees or
cliff faces. When water is readily available, baboons drink
every day or two, but they can survive for long periods by
licking the night dew from their fur.
Habits/Behavior
Baboons usually start their day early and leave their
sleeping places at around 7 or 8 in the morning. when they
come down from their sleeping places, adults sit in small
groups grooming each other while the the young ones play.
Onward, they then form a tight unit that moves off in a
column of two or three, walking until they begin feeding.
Baboons feed as they move along, often traveling five or
more miles a day foraging. They forage for about three hours
in the morning, then rest from the heat of the day and
forage again in late afternoon before returning to their
sleeping places by around 6 p.m. They spend more time in
mutual grooming before retiring. Grooming each other is a
key way of forming bonds among baboons as well as keeping
their fur clean and free of parasites.
A typical group size consists of 15 individuals which
consists of seven to eight males and approximately twice as
many females as their are young ones. The group sleeps,
travel, feed and socialize together. These groups can be
described as family units and form a close knit core of a
troop, with a hierarchical ranking system that recognizes
certain females as leaders. A troop's home perimeter is
well-defined but does not appear to have any defined
territorial borders. It often overlaps with the perimeter of
other baboons, but the troops seem to avoid meeting one
another.
When the males begin to mature, they leave their natal
troops and move in and out of other troops. This causes
frequent fights over dominance and access to females and
food. The ranking of the males in theses troops constantly
changes during this period. Males are accepted into new
troops slowly, usually by developing "friendships" with
different females around the periphery of a troop. They
often help to defend a female and her offspring.
During the first month, an infant baboon stays in very close
contact with its mother. The mother carries the infant under
her belly as she travels, holding it with one hand. By the
time the young baboon is 5 to 6 weeks old it rides on her
back, hanging on fours; in a few months it rides jockey
style, sitting upright. Between 4 and 6 months the young
baboon begins to spend most of its time with other
juveniles.
Diet
Baboons are opportunistic omnivores (meaning they feed on
both vegetation and meat) and are selective feeders. Grass
makes up over 80% of their diet, along with berries, seeds,
pods, blossoms, leaves, roots, bark and sap from a variety
of plants. Baboons also eat insects and small quantities of
meat, such as fish, shellfish, hares, birds, velvet monkeys,
and small antelopes.
Predators and Threats
The baboon's major predators are humans. Knowing that humans
can easily kill or injure them when they are in trees,
baboons usually escape through undergrowth. Males may
confront other predators like leopards or cheetahs by
forming a line and strutting in a threatening manner while
baring their large canines and screaming. Baboons are fierce
fighters, but a demonstration such as this can put the
predator on the run.
Thought You Should Know
* 50 percent of adult males and females lack the male's ruff
-long hairs around the neck- but otherwise they are similar
in appearance.
* Baboons use over 30 vocalizations ranging from grunts to
barks to screams to communicate. Non-vocal gestures include
yawns, lip smacking and shoulder shrugging.
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