Thursday, May 11, 2006
Hamadryas Baboon
LIFE CYCLE/SOCIAL STRUCTURE:
Hamadryas baboons are socially and structurally distinct from other species of baboon. Males are related to each other and females move between groups. They sleep on rocky cliffs in aggregations that may number as many as 750. They travel and forage in bands of 50 to 100 individuals. In turn these bands are composed of the basic group of a single adult male with one to four females together with their offspring. The adult male keeps his harem together by strong disciplinary measures which include biting his females on the nape of the neck. Males kidnap young females who then bond to them. A female threatened by her male will run towards not away from him. When a pair forms, rival males respect a possessor's right to his female. This species breeds throughout the year, but the peak seasons are May-June and November-December. The gestation period is 170-173 days; one young is usual, rarely two. Females reach sexual maturity in five years, males in seven. Hamadryas baboons are preyed upon by leopards, jackals, hyenas, cheetahs and lions, and infants are sometimes taken by eagles. Life span 30 to 40 years.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Kummer, Hans. 1968. Social Organization of Hamadryas Baboons. Chicago University Press.
Hamadryas baboons are socially and structurally distinct from other species of baboon. Males are related to each other and females move between groups. They sleep on rocky cliffs in aggregations that may number as many as 750. They travel and forage in bands of 50 to 100 individuals. In turn these bands are composed of the basic group of a single adult male with one to four females together with their offspring. The adult male keeps his harem together by strong disciplinary measures which include biting his females on the nape of the neck. Males kidnap young females who then bond to them. A female threatened by her male will run towards not away from him. When a pair forms, rival males respect a possessor's right to his female. This species breeds throughout the year, but the peak seasons are May-June and November-December. The gestation period is 170-173 days; one young is usual, rarely two. Females reach sexual maturity in five years, males in seven. Hamadryas baboons are preyed upon by leopards, jackals, hyenas, cheetahs and lions, and infants are sometimes taken by eagles. Life span 30 to 40 years.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Kummer, Hans. 1968. Social Organization of Hamadryas Baboons. Chicago University Press.
# posted by saffron @ 7:34 AM 
