SCIENTIFIC NAME

Of the family Cercopithecinae (say that fast five times in a row). Genera Papio consisting of five main species: P. anubis (four subspecies), P. ursinus (four subspecies), P. hamadryas (zero subspecies), P. papio (zero subspecies), and P. cynocephalus (three subspecies).

COMMON NAME

P. anubis -- olive baboon. P. ursinus -- chacma babbon. P. hamadryas -- sacred baboon. P. cynocephalus -- yellow baboon. P. papio -- guinea baboon.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTORS

Baboons have a marked sexual dimorphism with the male weighing about twice as much as the female. The male tips the scale at about 75 pounds while the female sets the scale at 35 pounds (to give you something to visualize what 35 pounds looks like, just think about all of the supermodels' combined weight). The male reaches a height of 2.5- 3 feet with the female close behind at 2 feet (almost as tall as Ross Perot). Baboons have non-prehensile tails which length averages almost that of the body. The female tail averages around a foot and a half while the male's is around two feet. Their faces are doglike with a prominent muzzle and jaw. The nostrils are open widely and point forward. They have striking ischial callosities which turn bright red in females when ready for copulation (this is where Pamela Lee gets her seductiveness). Brachiation is not a main priority to the baboon, hence the stubby hands with short fingers and relatively long thumbs (which helps on a date).

HABITAT

Baboons occupy a wide range of major vegetational zones in mid to southern Africa and south-eastern Asia including sub-desert, savannah, Acacia thornveld, forest- savannah mosaic and rain forest. Minor habitats include rocky cliffs and gorges (P. hamadryas) and sea-side cliffs (P. ursinus). All baboons, except P. hamadryas and some P. ursinus, find shelter at night in the trees when they sleep. Baboons are diurnal and sleep from before night until after dawn, like most humans wish they could.

DIET

Baboons are omnivorous, including fruits, grasses, roots, lizards, and insects (sounds like the ingredients of a t.v. dinner) with occasional meat-eating tendencies.

REFERENCES

Primate Behavior, I. Devore, 1965 by Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Primate, Studies in Adaptation and Variability, P. Jay, 1968 by Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Naturalistic Behavior of Nonhuman Primates, C.R. Carpenter, 1964 by Pennsylvania State University. The baboon in Medical Rersearch, H. Vagtbor, 1964 by University of Texas Press. A Handbookof Living Primates, J.H. Napier, 1967 by Academic Press Incorporated. Evolutionary and Genetic Biology of the Primate, J. Buettner- Janusch, 1964 by Academic Press Incorporated.