5 Strange Truths About Baboons
A Close Look at One of Earth's Most Peculiar Primates
Baboons are monkeys. However, most monkeys have human-like faces, whereas baboons have a dog-like snout giving them an alienish appearance. The largest monkeys in the world are baboon species, the largest being the chacma baboons. All baboon species live in Africa and Arabia. Currently, there are five species of baboon:
Olive baboon (Papio anubis)
Guinea baboon (Papio papio)
Chacma baboon (Papio ursinus)
Yellow baboon (Papio cynocephalus)
Hamadryas baboon(Papio hamadryas)
NOTE: Mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) were once thought to be baboons, but recent DNA studies reveal that they are more closely related to mangabeys!
Here are some interesting facts about baboons that you may find surprising. Enjoy.
1.) They Kill and Eat Small Animals
Baboons are omnivores, meaning along with having plants in their diet, they have a taste for meat. They have fearsome canine teeth that can be up to 2.5 inches long in mandrills. They often display a warning yawn to reveal these weapons to predators threatening to attack them.
Olive baboons will also use these teeth to deliver a killing bite to a flamingo. Yes- THEY EAT FLAMINGOS. Large populations of flamingos migrate to Lake Bogoria in Kenya, and each year, many of them fall prey to Olive baboons.
Baboons are also known to kill small mammals such as young sheep, antelope and even farm animals, causing much trouble for farmers that share land with them.
2.) Troops have a Complex Hierarchy
A group of baboons is known as a troop. These groups can become quite large, sometimes amounting to hundreds of baboons in a single troop. The social interactions and rules of a troop continue to enthrall scientists and wildlife researchers to this day.
As a member of a troop, some of your daily activities consist of:
Bonding: Baboons will bond with other troop members by grooming them. Baboons within troops will groom one another for hours on end, ridding their fur of bugs and parasites. This helps not only to strengthen their bonds with one another, but also provides them with a protein-rich snack and keeps their fur clean. It’s a win-win-win.
Going on Guard Duty: Unlike most other monkey species, baboons spend a lot of the time on the ground. They can however climb very well, and will scale a tall tree for a good view. If they spot danger, they will notify the rest of the troop to migrate away from the danger.
Forage: Baboons: spend a lot of time foraging for plants, seeds, fruits and even tree bark. These foods are a large portion of their diet and they must put constant effort to acquire them.
Fight/Display Physical Power: If you are a male baboon, you can choose to display your physical prowess to impress the ladies in the troop or challenge opposing males. Below is a video of Hamadryas baboons fighting for females in their cliff-filled environment in Northern Africa.
3.) They May be Able to Tame Wild Dogs
Witnesses have claimed to have seen baboons kidnapping the puppies of feral dogs and even African painted dogs to keep as a playmate and for protection of the troop. If this is true, it is quite fascinating, considering our race of Homo Sapiens went through this same evolutionary hurdle (Thousands of years ago, humans decided to work together with wolves and include them in our societies for protection against predators).
4.) They Will Steal Your Things
Baboons are notorious for stealing things such as crops, food and even things out of cabinets and drawers inside houses! The Baboon wars rage in Africa to this day.
5.) Baboons Live Long
In the wild, baboons typically live for 30 years. In captivity, they can survive for up to 45 years. This is quite a long time compared to other species in the animal kingdom. I guess it makes sense since we are closely related to them, and we have long lifespans as well. Always remember, you are very similar to a baboon. Charles Darwin said so.
I’d like to cap off this post with a video from my YouTube channel, Wild Primal. It’s a video of an enormous olive baboon I saw on my visit to Zoo Boise in Idaho. I recorded it on my Galaxy S 21 camera. When I asked a zookeeper how much this baboon weighed, he told me it was 155 lbs! That is ridiculously large for an olive baboon, as the average weight of a male olive baboon is usually around 80 lbs in the wild. Living in captivity, free of predators, and not having to struggle for food may have caused this baboon to reach the size that it has attained.
Enjoy this video I took!