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 Contents
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
Taxonomy
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o
Fossil record


Characteristics


Behavior and ecology
Toggle Behavior and ecology subsection
o
Habitat and prey

o
Predators

o
Social systems

o
Mating

o
Birth, rearing young, and life expectancy


Relationship with humans


Diseases


See also


References


Further reading

External links

Baboon
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with Mandrill.

For other uses, see Baboon (disambiguation).

Baboon[1]
 Temporal range: 2.0–0 Ma 

PreꞒ

Pg

N
↓

Early Pleistocene – Recent

Olive baboon

0:31

Yellow baboon calls recorded in Kenya

 Scientific classification

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Primates

Suborder: Haplorhini

Infraorder: Simiiformes

Family: Cercopithecidae

Tribe: Papionini

Genus: Papio
Erxleben, 1777

Type species

Papio papio

Desmarest, 1820

Species

Papio hamadryas
Papio papio
Papio anubis
Papio cynocephalus
Papio ursinus
Papio kindae
 Synonyms

 Chaeropitheus Gervais, 1839
 Comopithecus J. A. Allen, 1925
 Cynocephalus G. Cuvier and É.
Geoffroy, 1795

 Hamadryas Lesson, 1840
(non Hübner, 1804: preoccupied)

Baboons are primates comprising the genus Papio, one of the 23 genera of Old World

monkeys, in the family Cercopithecidae. There are six species of baboon:
the hamadryas baboon, the Guinea baboon, the olive baboon, the yellow baboon,
the Kinda baboon and the chacma baboon. Each species is native to one of six areas
of Africa and the hamadryas baboon is also native to part of the Arabian Peninsula.
[2]
 Baboons are among the largest non-hominoid primates and have existed for at least
two million years.
Baboons vary in size and weight depending on the species. The smallest, the Kinda
baboon, is 50 cm (20 in) in length and weighs only 14 kg (31 lb), while the largest,
the chacma baboon, is up to 120 cm (47 in) in length and weighs 40 kg (88 lb). All
baboons have long, dog-like muzzles, heavy, powerful jaws with sharp canine teeth,
close-set eyes, thick fur except on their muzzles, short tails, and nerveless, hairless
pads of skin on their protruding buttocks called ischial callosities that provide for sitting
comfort. Male hamadryas baboons have large white manes. Baboons exhibit sexual
dimorphism in size, colour and/or canine teeth development.
Baboons are diurnal and terrestrial, but sleep in trees, or on high cliffs or rocks at night,
away from predators. They are found in open savannas and woodlands across Africa.
They are omnivorous and their diet consists of a variety of plants and animals. Their
principal predators are Nile crocodiles, leopards, lions and hyenas. Most baboons live in
hierarchical troops containing harems. Baboons can determine from vocal exchanges
what the dominance relations are between individuals.
In general, each male can mate with any female; the mating order among the males
depends partly on their social rank. Females typically give birth after a six-month
gestation, usually to one infant. The females tend to be the primary caretaker of the
young, although several females may share the duties for all of their offspring. Offspring
are weaned after about a year. They reach sexual maturity around five to eight years.
Males leave their birth group, usually before they reach sexual maturity, whereas most
females stay in the same group for their lives. Baboons in captivity live up to 45 years,
while in the wild they average between 20 and 30 years.

Taxonomy
Six species of Papio are recognized,[3] although there is some disagreement about
whether they are really full species or subspecies.[4]
 Genus Papio – Desmarest, 1820 – six species

IUCN
status and
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology
estimated
population

Papio ursinus
(Kerr, 1792)

Chacma baboon hide

southern Africa
Two subspecies

 Papio ursinus ursinus Kerr, 1792 Size:

– Cape chacma (found in  LC 
southern South Africa) Habitat:
 P. ursinus griseipes Pocock,
1911 – Gray-footed chacma
(found in northern South Africa Diet:
to southern Zambia)
 P. ursinus raucana Shortridge,
1942 – Ruacana chacma (found
from Namibia to
southern Angola, but not
accepted by all authorities as
distinct.

Western, red, or Guinea

Size:
baboon far western Africa
Habitat:

Diet: fruits, buds,  NT 

Papio papio
roots, bark, grasses,
(Desmarest, 1820)
greens, seeds,
tubers, leaves, nuts,
cereals, insects,
worms, birds and
small mammals.

Hamadryas baboon Papio hamadryas Horn of Africa and Size:  LC 

(Linnaeus, 1758) southwestern Arabia
Habitat:

Diet:
 north-central
Olive baboon African savanna

Size:

Papio anubis  LC 

Habitat:
(Lesson, 1827)

Diet:

Kinda baboon

Size:

Papio kindae miombo woodlands,  LC 

Habitat:
Lönnberg, 1919 Central Africa.
Diet:

Papio cynocephalus
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Size:
hide
 LC 
Yellow baboon south-central and eastern Habitat:
Two subspecies
Africa
 Papio cynocephalus Diet:
cynocephalus (typical yellow
baboon)
 Papio cynocephalus
 ibeanus (Ibean baboon)

Previously five species of baboon were recognised; the Kinda baboon has gained

support for its species status after phylogenetic studies of all members of Papio.[5][6] Many
authors distinguish P. hamadryas as a full species, but regard all the others as
subspecies of P. cynocephalus and refer to them collectively as "savanna baboons".
This may not be helpful: it is based on the argument that the hamadryas baboon is
behaviorally and physically distinct from other baboon species, and that this reflects a
separate evolutionary history. However, recent morphological and genetic studies
of Papio show the hamadryas baboon to be more closely related to the northern baboon
species (the Guinea and olive baboons) than to the southern species (the yellow and
chacma baboons).[4][7][8]
Fossil record
In 2015 researchers found the oldest baboon fossil on record, dated at 2 million years
old.[9]

Characteristics

Face of a hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas)

All baboons have long, dog-like muzzles, heavy, powerful jaws with sharp canine teeth,
close-set eyes, thick fur except on their muzzles, short tails, and rough spots on their
protruding buttocks, called ischial callosities. These calluses are nerveless, hairless
pads of skin that provide for the sitting comfort of the baboon.
 Chacma baboon skull Male
olive baboon showing his canines. Ngorongoro National Park, Tanzania, 2014.

All baboon species exhibit pronounced sexual dimorphism, usually in size, but also
sometimes in colour. Males have much larger upper canines compared to females and
use them in threat displays. Males of the hamadryas baboon species also have large
white manes.

Behavior and ecology

The neutrality of this section is disputed. Relevant discussion
may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this
message until conditions to do so are met. (November
2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Baboons are able to acquire orthographic processing skills, which form part of the ability
to read.[10]
Habitat and prey
Baboons are terrestrial (ground dwelling) and are found in open savannah, open
woodland and hills across Africa. They are omnivorous, highly opportunistic feeders and
will eat virtually anything, including grasses, roots, seeds, leaves, bark, fruits, fungus,
insects, spiders, worms, fish, shellfish, rodents, birds, vervet monkeys, and
small antelopes.[11] They are foragers and are active at irregular times throughout the day
and night. They often raid human dwellings, and in South Africa they break into homes
and cars in search of food. Baboons will also raid farms, eating crops and preying on
sheep, goats and poultry.
Predators
Other than humans[11] the principal predators of baboons are leopards, lions,
and spotted and striped hyenas.[12] They are considered a difficult prey for the leopard,
though, which is mostly a threat to young baboons. Large males will often confront them
by flashing their eyelids, showing their teeth by yawning, making gestures, and chasing
after the intruder/predator. Although they are not a prey species, baboons have been
killed by the black mamba snake. This usually occurs when a baboon accidentally
rouses the snake.[13]

Baboons caught up a tree by Kalahari lions (1 of 3)

 

Baboons caught up a tree by Kalahari lions (2 of 3)

 

Baboons caught up a tree by Kalahari lions (3 of 3)

Social systems

A troop of baboons

The collective noun for baboons is "troop".[14] Most baboons live in hierarchical

troops. Group sizes are typically around 50 animals, but can vary between 5 and 250,
depending on species, location and time of year. The structure within the troop varies
considerably between hamadryas baboons and the remaining species, sometimes
collectively referred to as savanna baboons. The hamadryas baboons often appear in
very large groups composed of many smaller harems (one male with four or so
females), to which females from elsewhere in the troop are recruited while they are still
too young to breed. Other baboon species have a more promiscuous structure with a
strict dominance hierarchy based on the matriline. The hamadryas baboon group will
typically include a younger male, but he will not attempt to mate with the females unless
the older male is removed. In the harems of the hamadryas baboons, the males
jealously guard their females, to the point of grabbing and biting the females when they
wander too far away. Despite this, some males will raid harems for females. Such
situations often cause aggressive fights between the males. Visual threats usually
accompany these aggressive fights. These include a quick flashing of the eyelids
accompanied by a yawn to show off the teeth. Some males succeed in taking a female
from another's harem, called a "takeover". In several species, infant baboons are taken
by the males as hostages, or used as shields during fights.
Baboons can determine from vocal exchanges what the dominance relations are
between individuals. When a confrontation occurs between different families or where a
lower-ranking baboon takes the offensive, baboons show more interest in this exchange
than those 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. [15]
Baboon social dynamics can also vary; Robert Sapolsky reported on a troop, known as
the Forest Troop, during the 1980s, which experienced significantly less aggressive
social dynamics after its most aggressive males died off during a tuberculosis outbreak,
leaving a skewed gender ratio of majority females and a minority of low-aggression
males. This relatively low-aggression culture persisted into the 1990s and extended to
new males coming into the troop, though Sapolsky observed that while unique, the
troop was not an "unrecognizably different utopia"; there was still a dominance
hierarchy and aggressive intrasexual competition amongst males. Furthermore, no new
behaviours were created amongst the baboons, rather the difference was the frequency
and context of existing baboon behaviour.[16]
Mating

Chacma baboons mating at Cape Point in South Africa

Baboon mating behavior varies greatly depending on the social structure of the troop. In
the mixed groups of savanna baboons, each male can mate with any female. The
mating order among the males depends partially on their social ranking, and fights
between males are not unusual. There are, however, more subtle possibilities; in mixed
groups, males sometimes try to win the friendship of females. To garner this friendship,
they may help groom the female, help care for her young, or supply her with food. The
probability is high that those young are their offspring. Some females clearly prefer such
friendly males as mates. However, males will also take infants during fights to protect
themselves from harm. A female initiates mating by presenting her swollen rump to the
male's face.[17]
In a wild baboon population of the Amboseli ecosystem in Kenya, inbreeding is avoided
by mate choice.[18] Inbreeding avoidance through mate choice is thought to only evolve
when related possible sexual partners frequently encounter each other and there is a
risk of inbreeding depression.[19]
Birth, rearing young, and life expectancy

Young Olive baboon on the back of its mother, Lake Manyara

National Park, Tanzania

Females typically give birth after a six-month gestation, usually to a single infant; twin
baboons are rare and often do not survive. The young baboon weighs approximately
400 g and has a black epidermis when born.
The females tend to be the primary caretaker of the young, although several females
will share the duties for all of their offspring. After about one year, the young animals are
weaned. They reach sexual maturity in five to eight years. Baboon males leave their
birth group, usually before they reach sexual maturity, whereas females
are philopatric and stay in the same group their whole lives.
Baboons in captivity have been known to live up to 45 years, while in the wild their life
expectancy is between 20 and 30 years.

Relationship with humans

In Egyptian mythology, Babi was the deification of the hamadryas baboon and was
therefore a sacred animal. It was known as the attendant of Thoth, so is also called the
sacred baboon. The 2009 documentary Baboon Woman examines the relationship
between baboons and humans in South Africa.

Diseases
Herpesvirus papio family of viruses and strains infect baboons. Their effects on humans
are unknown. Humans infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis can transmit the
disease to the primates upon close proximity. Pathogens have a high likelihood of
spreading through humans and species of nonhuman primates, such as baboons. [20]

See also
 Amboseli Baboon Research Project
 List of historical monkeys
 Parapapio

References
1. ^ Groves, C. P. (2005).  "GENUS  Papio". In  Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of
the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference  (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University
Press. pp.  166–167.  ISBN  0-801-88221-4. OCLC  62265494.
2. ^ "Facts About Baboons". livescience.com. 21 January 2017. Archived from the original on 8 March
2018. Retrieved  15 April 2018.
3. ^ Mittermeier, Russell A.; Rylands, Anthony B.; Wilson, Don E., eds. (2013). Handbook of the
Mammals of the World. Volume 3. Primates. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. pp. 184–284. ISBN 978-84-
96553-89-7.
4. ^ Jump up to:a b Newman, T. K.; Jolly, C. J.; Rogers, J. (2004). "Mitochondrial phylogeny and
systematics of baboons (Papio)". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 124 (1): 17–
27.  doi:10.1002/ajpa.10340. PMID 15085544.
5. ^ Zinner, Dietmar; Wertheimer, Jenny; Liedigk, Rasmus; Groeneveld, Linn F.; Roos, Christian
(2013).  "Baboon phylogeny as inferred from complete mitochondrial genomes".  American Journal of
Physical Anthropology. 150 (1): 133–140. doi:10.1002/ajpa.22185.  PMC 3572579. PMID 23180628.
6. ^ Roos, Christian; Knauf, Sascha; Chuma, Idrissa S.; Maille, Audrey; Callou, Cécile; Sabin, Richard;
Portela Miguez, Roberto; Zinner, Dietmar (2021). "New mitogenomic lineages in  Papio  baboons and
their phylogeographic implications". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 174 (3): 407–
417.  doi:10.1002/ajpa.24186. PMID 33244782.  S2CID 227182800.
7. ^ Frost, S. R.; Marcus, L. F.; Bookstein, F. L.; Reddy, D. P.; Delson, E. (2003). "Cranial allometry,
phylogeography, and systematics of large-bodied papionins (Primates:Cercopithecinae) inferred from
geometric morphometric analysis of landmark data". Anatomical Record.  275  (2): 1048–
1072.  doi:10.1002/ar.a.10112. PMID 14613306.
8. ^ Wildman, D. E.; Bergman, T. J.; al-Aghbari, A.; Sterner, K. N.; Newman, T. K.; Phillips-Conroy, J.
E.; Jolly, C. J.; Disotell, T. R. (2004). "Mitochondrial evidence for the origin of hamadryas
baboons". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.  32  (1): 287–
296.  doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2003.12.014. PMID 15186814.
9. ^ Geggel, Laura (21 August 2015).  "Skull of earliest baboon discovered".  Live
Science. Archived from the original on 28 May 2017. Retrieved 19 October  2017.
10. ^ Jonathan Grainger; Stéphane Dufau; Marie Montant; Johannes C. Ziegler; Joël Fagot (2012).
"Orthographic processing in baboons (Papio papio)".  Science.  336  (6078): 245–
248.  Bibcode:2012Sci...336..245G. doi:10.1126/science.1218152.  PMID  22499949. S2CID  1690207
4.
11. ^ Jump up to:a b "AWF: Wildlife: Baboon". African Wildlife Foundation. Archived from the original on
17 September 2008. Retrieved  2008-08-18.
12. ^ Cowlishaw, Guy (1 January 1994). "Vulnerability To Predation in Baboon
Populations". Behaviour. 131 (3–4): 293–304.  doi:10.1163/156853994X00488.
13. ^ Bauchot, Roland (2006).  Snakes: A Natural History. Sterling. pp.  41, 76, 176. ISBN 978-1-4027-
3181-5.
14. ^ "OED Collective nouns". Archived from  the original on December 14, 2011. Retrieved  2006-11-26.
15. ^ Bergman TJ, Beehner JC, Cheney DL, Seyfarth RM (2003). "Hierarchical classification by rank and
kinship in baboons".  Science.  302  (November 14): 1234–
1236.  Bibcode:2003Sci...302.1234B.  doi:10.1126/science.1087513. PMID 14615544.  S2CID 301720
42.
16. ^ Fry, Douglas P., ed. War, peace, and human nature: the convergence of evolutionary and cultural
views. Oxford University Press, 2013, pp.427-436. Sapolsky questioned if the Forest Troop would be
able to maintain its social system if a large number of aggressive new males joined. However, he
notes that there was never an opportunity to study this as by the 2000s, the Forest Troop had
expanded its range and individual animals spend most of their time alone. This means that the troop
has essentially fragmented and no longer functions as a cohesive social unit.
 17. ^ Altmann, J.; Hausfater, G.; Altmann, S. A. (1988). "Determinants of reproductive success in
savannah baboons, Papio cynocephalus". In Clutton-Brock T. H. (ed.). Reproductive success: studies
of individual variation in contrasting breeding systems. Chicago (IL): University Chicago Press.
pp.  403–418.
18. ^ Galezo, Allison A.; Nolas, Melina A.; Fogel, Arielle S.; Mututua, Raphael S.; Warutere, J. Kinyua;
Siodi, I. Long'ida; Altmann, Jeanne; Archie, Elizabeth A.; Tung, Jenny; Alberts, Susan C. (2022-02-
23).  "Mechanisms of inbreeding avoidance in a wild primate".  Current Biology. 32 (7): S0960–
9822(22)00222–6. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.082. PMC  9007874.  PMID  35216670. S2CID  2470873
85.
19. ^ Pike, Victoria L.; Cornwallis, Charlie K.; Griffin, Ashleigh S. (2021-08-11). "Why don't all animals
avoid inbreeding?". Proceedings. Biological Sciences. 288 (1956):
20211045.  doi:10.1098/rspb.2021.1045. PMC  8334842.  PMID  34344184.
20. ^ BUSSE, CURT (1980).  "Leopard and Lion predation upon Chacma Baboons living in the Moremi
Wildlife Reserve". Botswana Notes and Records. 12: 15–21.  ISSN  0525-
5090.  JSTOR  40980790. Archived from the original on 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2021-03-03.

Further reading
 Cheney, Dorothy L.; Seyfarth, Robert M. (2007). Baboon Metaphysics: The Evolution of a
Social Mind. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226102436.
 Zinner, Dietmar; Groeneveld, Linn F.; Keller, Christina; Roos, Christian
(2009). "Mitochondrial phylogeography of baboons (Papio  spp.) – Indication for
introgressive hybridization?". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 9 (83): 83. doi:10.1186/1471-
2148-9-83. PMC 2681462. PMID 19389236.

External links

Wikispecies has information related to Papio.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Papio.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Baboons.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Baboon".

 Baboons: Wildlife summary from the African Wildlife Foundation

 Primate Info Net Papio Factsheets Archived 2006-08-28 at the Wayback Machine

show
 Extant species of family Cercopithecidae (Old World monkeys) (subfamily Cercopithecinae)

show

Haplorhini

Wikidata: Q159429

Wikispecies: Papio

ADW: Papio

BOLD: 6871

CoL: 6DGR

EoL: 15084

EPPO: 1PAPOG

Fossilworks: 40871

GBIF: 5219585

iNaturalist: 43534

ITIS: 572827

MSW: 12100580

NCBI: 9554

Israel
Authority control: United States
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Czech Republic
Categories: 

 Baboons
 Mammals of Sub-Saharan Africa
 Primates of Africa
 Papionini
 Extant Pleistocene first appearances
 This page was last edited on 14 July 2023, at 04:38 (UTC).
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