Knowing The Animal Gelada Baboon

The Semyen highland massif is considered to be the finest scenery in all Africa and it is for this reason, and the fact that the area is the home of the Walia Ibex, the Semien Fox and the Gelada Baboon that it has now been gazetted as a national park.

The Gelada is not in fact peculiar to the Semyen as is the exclusive Walia Ibex, but they are more numerous here than in their other habitats Some live at Debre Sina not far from Addis Ababa and others at Debre Libanos on the way to the Blue Nile; there are also small populations in the Mulu and Bole Valley gorges. But in the Semyen there may be as many as 20,000, and troops of 400 together may be seen. They do not molest humans and, more surprisingly, the local people do not molest them. Thus they are very tame and will allow humans to approach quite close to the troop before moving nearer to the cliff edge.
The Gelada was discovered in 1835 by the explorer Ruppell, who nan;ed it by the local name used by the inhabitants of Gonder region where he first observed it. They are not difficult to study as they are very tame, however, little interest was shown in them until recently, when Patsy and Robin Dunbar made an exhaustive study of their social behaviour. The social behaviour of the apes and monkeys is evidence of a very high degree of intelligence and studies of their rudimentary social structures are proving of considerable value in analysing the origins of human social behaviour.

Geladas live along the edges and steep slopes of precipices. They never move far from the rim and thus their distribution is linear along the escarpment. At night they climb down the steep cliff faces to caves where they roost on ledges, often huddled close together for warmth as Semyen nights are frosty and bitterly cold. Babies cling tight to their mothers even in sleep. In the morning in the warm sun they climb up again to the top of the cliff and spread out to feed. Geladas are mainly vegetarian, living on herbs, grasses and roots, but they also eat insects and locusts. They never eat meat, or hunt or kill even small birds or mammals. As a result of this restricted diet they are obliged to spend a very high percentage of their lives foraging and browsing in order to obtain sufficient nutrients to survive. This may explain why they are so extremely peaceable by nature, with very little squabbling even amongst themselves. They have no natural enemies (except of course, Man, who takes a fair toll with his rifle. The great mane of the adult male is used for traditional headresses by highland warriors).
Apart from feeding, "grooming" is their other main pastime. This entails simply picking through each other's fur. This is not only a friendly and peaceful occupation, but it serves also to establish bonds between various members of a 'harem' and to cement the accepted relationships in the hierachy, between male and female, older and younger members.
The long narrow plateaus of the Semyen slope up- wards from the south until they end in the dizzying precipices of the northern escarpment. This is the haunt of the Walia, and the Gelada do not frequent these vertical cliffs, but the rims of the stupendous gorges and ravines which bisect the plateau. The troops tend to graze the higher moorlands, amongst everlastings, giant lobelias and alchemilla-tussock grass. Never far from the rim, which is their refuge when danger threatens, they disappear over the edge on to the grassy slopes and ledges of the gorge sides. Their grazing ranks are so arranged that the males are always farthest from the edge and thus it is "women and children first" when they have occasion to flee to safety.

How Do Snow Monkey Protect Itself?

The Snow Monkey's Environment
Snow monkeys spend most of their time in trees. Not only does this place them out of the reach of predators, it also protects them from the freezing temperatures found on the snow-covered ground. To help minimize the amount of time spent on the ground, Japanese macaques will often store food in cheek pouches so that they can consume them later in the safety of the trees. When on the ground, snow monkeys stay in groups of 20 or more. This allows the troop to keep an eye in all directions for approaching predators.

Protection from Predators
Snow monkeys spend most of their time in trees. Not only does this place them out of the reach of predators, it also protects them from the freezing temperatures found on the snow-covered ground. To help minimize the amount of time spent on the ground, Japanese macaques will often store food in cheek pouches so that they can consume them later in the safety of the trees. When on the ground, snow monkeys stay in groups of 20 or more. This allows the troop to keep an eye in all directions for approaching predators.

Protection from the Cold
A full layer of fur, which can be gray, brown, tan or mottled, grows thicker in the winter to allow snow monkeys to retain more body heat. Snow monkeys also sun themselves during the day to remain warm and have even been known to visit naturally occurring hot springs to escape from temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
Protecting Young Snow Monkeys
Adolescent snow monkeys are cared for and protected by the adults in the troop for approximately two years. This is largely the responsibility of the mother, though males will often assist by carrying or huddling with the young macaque to keep it warm.

De Brazzas Monkey

Scientific Name:Ceropithecus neglectu
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family:Cercopithecidae
Distribution:Debrazza’s monkeys are found in eastern to central Africa in countries ranging from Cameroon to Ethiopia to Kenya to Angola.
Habitat: Debrazza’s monkeys are arboreal, meaning they live in trees, but they are also active on land and have been observed swimming. They live in closed canopy forests with dense vegetation, and near rivers. The environments are humid, and may have swamps and seasonal flooding.
Description: Debrazza’s monkeys have grey/black fur all over their bodies. They grow to between 16 and 25 inches. Males are larger than females and weigh up to 17 lbs whereas the females weigh up to 9 lbs. Their heads are round shaped and their faces have an orange crescent on the forehead area, a white muzzle and long, white beard. Their extremities are black including their tails which are longer than the length of their head and body combined. They use these long tails for balance. There are long white stripes on their thighs and rump. Males have a blue scrotum. These monkeys have a vocal sac that inflates, allowing them to make loud calls and have check pouches to carry food while they forage. Their lifespan in the wild is between 20 and 26 years, and in captivity they can live up to 30 years.
Diet: Debrazza’s monkeys are omnivores; however, fruits form the most important part of their diet. They also eat flowers, leaves, mushrooms, beetles, termites, worms, and lizards. At the zoo they are offered Monkey Chow, fruits, and vegetables. While foraging, the monkeys store food in their cheek pouches and then eat it later when they are in a safer area.
Behavior: Debrazza’s monkeys are social animals and often live in small groups of 4-10, though sometimes up to 35. Groups generally consist of one dominant male and many females. A female monkey will often live in her mother’s group for life; however, young males leave the group as soon as they are sexually mature.
They practice three primary modes of communication: visual, vocal, and tactile. Visual communication often occurs between males, especially in conflict situations. Some types of visual communication are staring or yawning to show teeth. Young males establish dominance by strutting around with arched tails and slamming branches. Vocal communication can include low frequency boom calls made by males to indicate territory or isolation calls made by youth when they become separated from the group. Tactile communication is important during mating as well as between mothers and offspring.

 

Debrazza’s monkeys gather food by hand, foraging in early morning and evening, and are most active during the day. Major predators are large African eagles, other primates, leopards, and humans. These monkeys are comfortable in many different habitats: they dwell in the trees as well as on the ground, and are reported to be excellent swimmers.
Breeding: Debrazza’s monkeys are sexually dimorphic, meaning that sexual roles are distinct and males are socially dominant. They are polygynous (males have multiple female partners); however, there have been some reports of monogamy. Females remain in their mother’s group for life, while males leave the group when they reach sexual maturity. At this point, males often compete for access to a group of females.
Breeding season generally occurs during February and March, or whenever food is available. Females usually give birth to one infant, though twins are rare. Gestation period is 5-6 months and the average birth weight is about 9 ounces. Time to weaning is 12 months and age at sexual maturity is 5-6 years.
Adaptations: Debrazza’s monkeys have more robust feet than other guenons, which makes them well-adapted to life on the forest floor rather than in the trees. They also have large cheek pouches for temporary food storage, and large incisors to better eat fruit from the trees.
Conservation: The greatest threat to Debrazza’s monkeys is from destruction of the forests in which they live, most of which is due to cultivation for Ethiopian coffee plantations. They are also vulnerable to animal trade and range fragmentation. However, they are not considered threatened or endangered. In 1975, Ethiopia protected these monkeys from hunting or trapping. They are also protected on the Dja Reserve in Cameroon.