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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
yellow
baboon |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Primates |
| FAMILY: |
Cercopithecidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Papio
(baboon) cynocephalus (dog-like face and
head) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Primate
with course tan fur covering their body; face protrudes
similar to a dog's muzzle |
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| SIZE: |
Head
& body length = 60-72.5 cm (24-29 in)
Tail length = 56-84 cm (22-34 in) |
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| WEIGHT: |
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| MALE |
27-44
kg (59-97 pds) |
| FEMALE |
14-17
kg (31-37 pds) |
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| DIET: |
Omnivorous
and opportunistic |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
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| MALE |
8-10
years |
| FEMALE |
4-5
years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Average
roughly 20-30 years |
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| HABITAT: |
Savannas
and arid zones |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Appendix
II |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Baboons
have complex social structures with anywhere from
8 to 200 individuals per troop. They use at least
10 different vocalizations to communicate. |
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| 2. |
When
traveling as a group, males will lead; females and
young stay safe in the middle and less dominant
males bring up the rear. |
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| 3. |
Highly
opportunistic eaters, baboons will eat almost any
food they come across including small mammals such
as ground-nesting birds, hares, and even baby antelope.
They will also eat roots, tubers, and even crustaceans
or other marine life near the shore. |
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| 4. |
A
baboon group's hierarchy is such a serious matter,
some sub-species have developed interesting behaviors
intended to avoid confrontation and retaliation.
For example, males have frequently been documented
using infants as a kind of "passport"
for safe approach toward another male. One male
will pick up the infant and hold it up as it nears
the other male. This action often calms heated nerves
and allows the former male to approach safely. |
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| 5. |
The
swollen, colored genitalia on the females during
estrous serves to attract potential mates during
this fertile time. Experiments show males receptiveness
toward females is directly correlated to the size
of the swelling, regardless of the female's behavior. |
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| 6. |
With
canines up to two inches long, adult males will
take on just about any small predators. A lone male
is able to intimidate and chase away an animal as
large as a jackal. In fact, larger cats such as
leopards are the only main predatorial threat (other
than humans) and fierce dominant males will still
gang up and harass such intruders until they retreat. |
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| 7. |
The
difference between apes and monkeys is easy to spot
once you know what to look for. Apes do not have
a tail and are generally larger than most other
primates. They have a more upright body posture
as well. |
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They
are important in their natural environment not
only serving as food for larger predators, but
also aiding in seed dispersal due to their messy
foraging habits. They are also efficient predators
of smaller animals and their young, keeping some
animals populations in check.
Due
to their extremely opportunistic lifestyle, baboons
have been able to fill a tremendous number of
different ecological niches, including places
considered adverse to other animals such as regions
taken over by human settlement. Thus, they are
one of the most successful African primates and
are not listed as threatened or endangered. However,
the same behavioral adaptations that make them
so successful also cause them to be considered
pests by humans in many areas. Raids on farmer's
crops and other such intrusions into human settlements
have made baboons subject to organized extermination
projects. It is important to remember however,
that habitat loss is the driving force behind
baboons' migration toward areas of human settlement.
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| |
|
|
| Estes,
DE. 1992. The behavior guide to African mammals.
Univ. Of Calif. Press. Berkley, CA. |
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| Parker,
S. 1990. Grzimck's Encyclopedia of Mammals.
McGraw-Hill Pub. Co., NY. Vol. 2. |
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Preston,
R. And K. Mafhan. 1992. Primates of the World.
Facts of File, Inc., NY.
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| Preston-Mafham,
Rod and Ken. 1999. Primates of the World.
Sterling Pub., New York. |
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| Rowe,
Noel. 1996. The pictorial guide to the living
primates. Pogonios Press, NY. |
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| Bushmeat
Crisis Task Force. www.bushmeat.org |
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