Scientific Name: Olive baboon (Papiocynocephalus anubis); yellow
baboon (Papio ynocephalus cynocephalus).An omnivorous savannah and
woodland primate dweller with ways about 50 kilogram's , with a
gestation of 6 months and a lifespan of about 20-30 years .The baboon,
of all the primates in East Africa, most frequently interacts with
people. Apart from humans, baboons are the most adaptable of the
ground-dwelling primates and live in a wide variety of habitats.
Intelligent and crafty, The two most common baboons occur in East
Africa, the olive baboon and the yellow baboon. The larger and darker
olive baboon is found in Uganda, west and central Kenya and northern
Tanzania. Smaller, more slender and lighter in color, the yellow baboon
inhabits southern and coastal Kenya and Tanzania. Both types are
"dogfaced," but the yellow's nose turns up more than the olive's.
Baboons are found in surprisingly varied habitats and are extremely
adaptable.
The major requirements for any habitat seem to be water
sources and safe sleeping places in either tall trees or on cliff
faces. Baboons usually leave their sleeping places around 7 or 8 a.m.
After coming down from the cliffs or trees, adults sit in small groups
grooming each other while the juveniles play. They then form a cohesive
unit that moves off in a column of two or three, walking until they
begin feeding. Fanning out, they feed as they move along, often
traveling five or six miles a day.
They forage for about three hours in
the morning, rest during the heat of the day and then forage again in
the afternoon before returning to their sleeping places by about 6 p.m.
Baboons sleep, travel, feed and socialize together in groups of about 50
individuals, consisting of seven to eight males and approximately twice
as many females plus their young.
These family units of females,
juveniles and infants form the stable core of a troop, with a ranking
system that elevates certain females as leaders.A troop's home range is
well-defined but does not appear to have territorial borders. When they
begin to mature, males leave their natal troops and move in and out of
other troops. Frequent fights break out to determine dominance over
access to females or meat.
The ranking of these males constantly changes
during this period. Males are accepted into new troops slowly, usually
by developing "friendships" with different females around the edge of a
troop. Baboons are opportunistic omnivores and selective feeders. Grass
makes up a large part 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, vervet monkeys, and small antelopes. Nearly
one-half the size of adult males, 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. Nonvocal gestures include yawns, lip smacking and shoulder
shrugging.
JBA -
Kenya Safari