|
Wildcliff Nature Reserve
Dedicated to
plant and wildlife conservation in South Africa's Cape Floral Kingdom
 Chacma Baboon (Papio
ursinus)
Description. The
chacma baboon has a dog-like muzzle with sharp tusk-like upper canine
teeth and beady, close-set eyes under a heavy brow. Its muzzle is bare,
as is its rump under the tail. It is a hairy animal with olive-gray
fur. Its fur sticks up all over its body. The baboons walk on all four
feet with their tails held in a crooked arch over their back.
Size. Males can
weigh 30-40 kg (59-97 pounds) and are about 50-70 cm (20-30 in.) long.
Females are smaller, weighing 15- 20 kg (31-37 pounds) and are 4-60 cm
(16-24 in.) long . Their tails are around 60 cm (2 feet) long.
Habitat. Chacma
baboons are diurnal and are always on the move. They spend most of
their time on the ground. They go into trees to escape predators, get
food, or spend the night. They might also spend the night on rocky
outcroppings. Baboon babies climb into trees to horse around and play
with each other.
Behavior. Baboons
are predominantly social creatures. They have a complicated family-oriented
social system, largely based on becoming and staying dominant. Each
troop consists of a dominant male and female, and other adult males and
females and offspring. Female ranking within the troop is inherited
through the mother and remains quite fixed, while male ranking is
tenuous and changes often, following confrontations. Infanticide is
relatively common as newly dominant Papio
ursinus
males will often attempt to kill young baboons sired by the previously
dominant male. Much more on the
baboons' behavior may be found at Kelly Sloan's Report
on Baboon Behavior. and the Wildcliff Baboon Observation
Log.
Diet. Chacma
baboons are omniverous. They eat fruit from trees, roots, an assortment
of plants including proteas, insects, and if given the opportunity, human
food. Half a loaf of bread replaces 4 hours foraging in the hills.
Predators.
Leopards are their number one predator in the Western Cape, followed by
farmers.
Reproduction.
Females give birth to a single young after a gestation period of about
6 months, not mating again for the following 18 months.
On Wildcliff. Seen
in a large troop,probably more than one troop, on Talari Meadow and
elsewhere on Wildcliff. They are the subject of several studies at
Wildcliff (see below). They are curious and destructive (see the Baboon Mischief
page). They also play
a role in our efforts to restore the native fynbos. They
may forage and spread seeds and create thousands of small microhabitats
for seeds to
germinate as they dig up bulbs and turn over rocks. Among the plants
they eat, besides luscious bulbs, are certain ericas, leucadendrons,
acacias, pelargoniums, arctotis, elegias and berries. On the other
hand, they may assist in the spread of invasive black wattle seeds. See
also
the research studies on the baboon troop on the Wildcliff research pages,
including the Baboon Observation Log.
|
Links & References
|
