Yellow Baboon

Description:

Yellow baboons are named so for the yellow-brown fur which covers their bodies except for their undersides, including the inner surfaces of the limbs, cheeks, and patches of fur on either side of the muzzle, which are white. Adult males and females have longer hair along their flanks compared to the rest of their bodies while males have longer fur at the nape of their necks. These primates have a prominent brow ridge covered in yellow-gray fur, but the rest of their face appears black and is only finely covered with fur. They have a protruding muzzle, similar to a dog's and walk quadrupedally, with their tails held up slightly and curved away from the body. All baboons are sexually dimorphic. Males have an average height of 1200 mm / 3.94 ft) and weigh 25.8 kg / 56.9 lb, while females measure 976 mm / 3.20 ft and weigh only 11.0 kg / 24.3 lb, on average. Variation in length and sharpness of canine teeth is also seen among males and females. Male baboons have long, sharp upper canine teeth compared to females. They use their canines in aggressive interactions with other males and when feeding on large vertebrate prey. In addition to grass, tubers, and acacia tree products, they also feed on fruits, flowers, orthopterans, termites, beetles, ants, reptiles, birds, bird eggs, small vertebrate prey, and other primates including vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops) and lesser bush babies (Galago senegalensis). Longevity in wild female yellow baboons is estimated to be around 14 to 15 years, but females have been recorded living up to 27 years in the wild. Gestation period is 180 days. While most of the day is spent on the ground, baboons retreat to trees in nearby riverine or gallery forests overnight to protect themselves from nocturnal predators. Potential predators include lions, cheetahs, leopards, spotted hyenas, jackals, pythons, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), felid-like predators such as servals, caracals, and genets, dogs, and humans

Habitat:

They inhabits savannas and light forests in the eastern Africa. Can be seen in Kenya,Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Botswana. They inhabit thorn scrub, savanna, open woodland, and gallery forests throughout their range. In some national parks they are found in semi-arid savannas with stands of acacia trees breaking up the open grassland. Due to small amount of rainfall, they require proximity to water sources and are found in swamps and groundwater forests. Original residents of central Africa from the west to eastern coasts in Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, and Somalia. From east of the Luangwa River in Zambia, into Malawi, northern Mozambique, and most of Tanzania, Kenya, southern Somalia and southeastern Ethiopia.

Notes:

This photo is the 1st Place winner of the safari contest held by National Geographic Traveller - India in the month of January 2013.