A mother baboon with the little one.
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Baboon, (genus Papio), any of five species of large, robust, and primarily terrrestrial monkeys found in dry regions of Africa and Arabia. Males of the largest species, the chacma baboon (Papio ursinus), average 30 kg (66 pounds) or so, but females are only half this size. The smallest is the hamadryas, or sacred baboon (P. hamadryas), with males weighing about 17 kg and females only 10, but this still places them among the largest monkeys. Baboons range from 50 to 115 cm (20–45 inches) long, not including the 45–70-cm tail, which is carried in a characteristic arch. All species have long snouts with the nostrils located at the end; male baboons have long daggerlike canine teeth.
The major requirements for any habitat appear to be abundant water sources and safe sleeping places—either in tall trees or on cliff faces.
Unlike most monkeys, few baboons live in tropical forests; most are found in savanna and semiarid regions, where they rove on the ground. They regularly climb trees, however, and here they sleep, keep watch, and sometimes feed. Baboons eat a variety of plants and animals, including grass and grass seeds, fruit, pods, roots, and tubers that they dig out of the ground. They also eat rodents, birds, and even gazelle fawns that they find hiding in long grass. In South Africa they are said to kill lambs, and everywhere they are known as crop raiders.
Baboons are often intentionally poisoned and killed because they tend to be considered as a pest species. They are also hunted for their skins—this is more common with the sacred baboon. Use of baboons in laboratories and medical research has also increased.
