Chacma Baboon, Cape Baboon

Description:

This troop of chacma baboons, about a 15-20 of them, was spotted along one of the roads in Kruger National Park. The males are larger than the females, probably close to 70lbs, while the females might be 30-40lbs. There were five males, six femailes, and a number of youngsters, one of them still riding on its mother's back. They were a grizzled gray-brown color with long black faces. The tails looped up then back and down. This helped the baby remain on its mother's back, but I don't know if that is why the tail loops like that.

Habitat:

The habitat was savanna butting up next to a stream which was lined with trees. They had no trouble climbing up into the trees, and seemed quite comfortable on their high perches. They sleep in trees to avoid predators.

Notes:

They were relatively fearless, walking alongside vehicles which had parked to watch them, but ultimately they left the road to climb up into nearby trees. Part of the troop can be seen in the trees of photo #5