Chacma Baboon  (Papio ursinus)


Baboons are highly intelligent. Zipped tents proving no obstacle to a successful raiding party!

The Chacma Baboon is a large powerful monkey. The dominant males head the hierarchy enforcing strict discipline, watching for predators and keeping a check that youngsters don’t stray too far. An adult male’s canines serve as effective defence weapons against predators, inflicting fearful wounds. Baboons feed mainly on fruit, seeds, grass and leaves yet they have been known to kill and eat infant impala, rodents and squirrels.

Habitat: Savanna woodland and mountains. Baboons are very seldom seen in open grasslands.Baboons leave in troops of up to 40 or 50 individuals, congregating at nigh in a chosen tree or cliff, where they sleep, and from which they descend in the morning to look for food. They never travel too far from their sleeping spots, not more than 1 or 2 kilometers, but they normally have more than one of these sleeping-sites, within their territory, that they use on a rotation basis.

Spending most of the daylight hours on the ground, Baboons are very exposed to predators, Leopard in particular. They have a very good hearing and eyesight. Baboons are always on the alert, very often associating with other animals, like Impala. If a predator approaches, the males give the alarm bark, and all the troop will go up the tree or trees; if no trees available, the vulnerable members of the troop will congregate in the center of the group, with the males on the outside. Adult males can weigh up to 35Kg and their life span is about 18 years.

Take a  photo safari  tour of the animals we saw!

EXTERNAL SITES
Nature-Wildlife Baboon Page Great series of baboon photos, taken in Kruger National Park, South Africa