Hamadryas Baboon
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| Hamadryas Baboon[1] | ||||||||||||||
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| Papio hamadryas (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The Hamadryas Baboon (Papio hamadryas) is a baboon from the Old World monkey family. It is the northernmost of all the baboons; its range extends from the Red Sea in Egypt to Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. It also lives on the Arabian peninsula (Saudi Arabia and Yemen). The Hamadryas Baboon was a sacred animal to the ancient Egyptians as the attendant of Thoth, and so, is also called the Sacred Baboon.
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[edit] Description
Apart from the striking size difference between the sexes (males are often twice as large as females) which is common to all baboons, this species also shows sexual dimorphism in coloration. Males are silver-white colored and have a pronounced mane, while the females are maneless and brown. The face is colored red.
[edit] Ecology and behavior
The Hamadryas Baboon lives in semi-desert areas, savannas and rocky areas, requiring cliffs for sleeping and possibilities to drink water. It has an unusual multi-level social system. Most social interaction occurs within small groups (harems) containing one male and up to ten females which the males lead and guard. A harem will typically include a younger "follower" male, but he will not attempt to mate with the females unless the older male is removed. Two to three harems unite repeatedly to form clans, and two to four clans form a band (which usually travels and sleeps together).
The Hamadryas Baboon is patriarchal, unlike the other baboon species. Females do most of the parenting. Like other baboons, the Hamadryas Baboon breeds aseasonally.
The males herd their females with visual threats. They will grab or bite any female that wanders too far away. Males will sometimes raid harems for females, resulting in aggressive fights. When a new male takes over a female, she may go into deceptive estrous cycles. This behavior is likely an adaptation that functions to prevent the new male from killing the offspring of the previous male.
The Hamadryas Baboon is omnivorous and is adapted to its relatively dry habitat. It is not discriminating in its search for food, eating anything from grasses and roots to insects and vertebrates.
[edit] Status
Transformation of field and pastureland represents the main threat of the Hamadryas Baboon, its natural enemies (the Leopard and the Lion) having been nearly exterminated in their range. The IUCN lists it as near threatened.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 166-167. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ^ a b Primate Specialist Group (1996). Papio hamadryas. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006.
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