Baboon dog. Baboon hamadryas, or frilled baboon. Pictured is a crested baboon. Baboon bear The smallest baboon

04.03.2020

This is the largest and strongest genus of lower apes.

2. The baboon is considered the largest monkey of the Old World. Africa and the South-Western expanses of the Arabian coast are inhabited by this interesting and peculiar animal.

3. French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon had a tense relationship with creditors, including the Baboon family. In his Natural History, he played on the similarity of the surname with the old French word "babine" ("mask with horns and beard") and named one of the genera of monkeys baboons. In Russian, this genus is called baboons, and the baboon is one of its species.

4. There are many types of baboons, the most famous are: crested baboon, bear baboon, Cameroonian baboon, frilled baboon, African baboon, yellow baboon or baboon.

5. Baboons differ from all their other brethren in their amazing endurance, aggressiveness and ability to adapt.

6. Baboons, or as they are also called, dog-headed monkeys, have a characteristic appearance: an elongated, like a dog, muzzle with long fangs, a powerful body, long hair on the head that looks like a comb, and red ischial calluses.

7. Adult male baboons reach a mass of 40 kilograms, females weigh a little less.

8. The wool of baboons is dark brown in color, and they are rightfully considered masters of disguise: animals are difficult to notice against the background of the ground or trees.

9. They live near waterholes, and during a period of drought, some animals dig holes in dry riverbeds and thus extract precious moisture.

10. These monkeys spend almost all their free time looking for food. They feed on berries, fruits, herbs, bird eggs, insects, plant roots.

11. In search of food, baboons can cover about 40 kilometers in a day.

12. The muzzle of baboons is elongated due to the expanded maxillary bones and large fangs.

13. The animal's nostrils are at the end of its muzzle, while in many other species of monkeys they are located on the upper side. The baboon monkey has prominently developed cheek pouches.

14. The length of his limbs is almost the same. Its tail is relatively short. And the coat is very elongated, which looks like a mantle on the body from the side, and in the head area it looks like a big beard.

guinea baboon

15. A distinctive feature of the monkey of the genus baboons is their bare buttocks, which are highly developed, elastic and callused. They have a bright red color. This property is present not because of increased pigmentation, but because baboons have especially developed vessels in that place.

16. It is the color of the buttocks of baboons that gives out the mood of the animal. If an animal from the genus of baboons is very excited, it becomes especially pronounced. During illness, this place becomes pale in them, and after death it completely disappears.

17. Despite the fact that baboons are lower monkeys, they have a remarkable mind, ingenuity and quick wit. These agile and intelligent animals have a mindset close to human. For this, many peoples consider them a deity.

bear baboons

18. Bear baboons have long developed their own specific social structure. The pack is led by the strongest male. He manages to keep the upper hand over all the other baboons with the help of intimidation.

19. Young and inexperienced baboon males are often attacked by him, which makes it possible to remind them who is in charge in the pack. This leader also zealously defends his fellows from the attacks of the "outsiders". Quite often, such battles can end in the death of the leader.

20. Among females, too, there is inequality. That female, which was preferred by the leader, and subsequently their cubs, are more honored than all other animals.

Cameroonian baboon

21. Cameroonian baboons have a slightly different social structure. Due to the inability to run fast enough and the lack of a secluded shelter in the savannas, and this is where these animals prefer to live, they also live in packs.

22. Only if the bear baboons are protected from enemies by their leader, then the Cameroonian baboons prefer to take a common defense and protect themselves from the enemy by common efforts.

23. Young males of these animals line up in a crescent and in a desperate and fierce struggle cut off the enemy from his flock, cruelly crack down not on the attacking enemy, but on the victim.

yellow baboon

24. Yellow baboons, or, as they are also called baboons, react differently to enemy attacks. They scatter in different directions, creating inconvenience for the enemy when choosing a victim.

25. Baboons are the most aggressive and dangerous species of monkeys, characterized by a vicious, unbridled character and incredible strength.

26. In a dangerous daily life, the test of hunger and thirst occurs in baboons quite often. Perhaps this is where the reasons for their aggressive behavior come from.

27. It is difficult for baboons to sit in one place; they prefer eternal wandering to a sedentary lifestyle.

African baboon

28. There are rumors about the haughty and aggressive disposition of the African baboon. Ancient legends say that if these monkeys feel a strong threat from a person, they can even throw stones at him. Therefore, when meeting with these animals, it is better not to tempt fate, but it is better to simply bypass them without looking into their eyes.

29. Several centuries ago, the Nama people living in South Africa used especially smart baboons as goat herders. They treated their work very responsibly, did not allow the animals to stray from the herd and timely warned of the danger when they saw predators. Sometimes the baboon chose the biggest goat and rode it.

30. This practice was also adopted by some European farmers who settled on these lands - the last case described in the press of a female baboon named Ala working on a farm in Namibia dates back to 1961.

Frilled baboon

31. In a flock of frilled baboons, quarrels with fights can often occur. Their main leader manages to stop all this lawlessness with just one furious look.

32. Cohesion and pronounced courage arise in these animals in the event of a danger threatening them. At such moments, even leopards with lions are not afraid of them.

33. These animals deftly climb trees, run fast on their hind legs. Predators living next to baboons are afraid to attack these animals: the male baboon always defends the female and cubs.

34. Baboons that live near people or in nurseries calmly accept the attention of a person and enjoy treats from their hands with pleasure. There were cases when a playful animal snatched some kind of delicacy right from the hands of a passerby and it looked funny.

35. The average life expectancy of baboons is from 30 to 40 years.

The inhabitants of Africa are sure that the baboon is more dangerous than the leopard. The opinion is drawn from close encounters with these vicious, sly, pugnacious and cunning monkeys, constantly appearing in criminal reports.

Description of the baboon

From the point of view of most zoologists, the genus Papio (baboons) includes five species of primates from the marmoset family - anubis, baboon, hamadryas, Guinea baboon and bear baboon (chakma). Some scientists, who are sure that the breakdown into five is incorrect, combine all varieties into one group.

Appearance

Males are almost 2 times larger than their females, and the most representative among Papio looks like a bear baboon, growing up to 1.2 m with a weight of 40 kg. The Guinean baboon is recognized as the smallest, whose height does not exceed half a meter and weighs only 14 kg..

The color of the fur varies (depending on the species) from brown to greyish-silver. All primates are distinguished by strong jaws with sharp fangs and close-set eyes. It is impossible to confuse a female baboon with a male - males have more impressive fangs and noticeable white manes adorning their heads. There is no hair on the muzzle, and the skin is painted black or pink.

Important! There is no coat on the buttocks either, but this part of the body is equipped with pronounced ischial calluses. The buttocks of females swell and turn red with the onset of the breeding season.

The tail of baboons looks like an even column, curved and raised at the base, and then freely hanging down.

Lifestyle

The life of baboons is full of hardships and dangers: they constantly have to be on their guard, periodically starve and experience excruciating thirst. For most of the day, baboons roam the earth, leaning on four limbs and sometimes climbing trees. To survive, primates have to unite in large herds of up to forty relatives. About six males, twice as many females and their joint children can coexist in a group.

With the advent of dusk, the monkeys settle down to sleep, climbing higher - on the same trees or rocks. Females, as a rule, surround their leaders. They go to sleep while sitting, which is facilitated by elastic ischial calluses, which allow them to ignore the inconvenience of the chosen position for a long time. They start their journey during the day, in a well-organized community, in the center of which are the alpha male and mothers with cubs. They are accompanied and guarded by younger males, who are the first to take a hit in case of danger and make sure that the females do not break away from the herd.

It is interesting! Growing young from time to time tries to overthrow the dominant male, running into fights. The struggle for power knows no compromises: the loser submits to the leader and shares with him the most delicious prey.

The war for leadership is rarely fought alone. To cope with a super-aggressive and strong dominant male, subdominants form temporary fighting alliances. This makes sense - male individuals assigned to a low rank get sick more often and die earlier. In general, baboons have a good ability to adapt to the world and remarkable endurance, which allows them to live quite a long time. In the wild, these monkeys live up to 30 years, in zoos - up to about 45.

Range, habitats

The birthplace of the baboon is almost the entire boundless African continent, divided into areas of individual species. The bear baboon is found in the territory from Angola to South Africa and Kenya, the baboon and anubis live somewhat to the north, inhabiting the equatorial regions of Africa from east to west. A slightly less wide range is occupied by the two remaining species: the Guinean baboon lives in Cameroon, Guinea and Senegal, and the hamadryan inhabits Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and part of the Arabian Peninsula (Aden region).

Baboons are well adapted to life in savannahs, semi-deserts and wooded areas, and in recent years they began to oppress people, settling closer and closer to human habitation. Monkeys become not only annoying, but also arrogant neighbors.

It is interesting! The predatory inclinations of baboons were noted back in the middle of the last century, when they dragged food from the inhabitants of the Cape Peninsula (South Africa), devastated plantations and exterminated livestock.

According to Justin O'Ryan, an employee of the section on the study of baboons, his wards learned how to break windows, open doors and even dismantle the tiled roof. But the contacts of monkeys with humans are dangerous for both sides - baboons bite and scratch, and people kill them.. To keep the primates in their traditional habitats, herd movements are controlled by rangers, marking animals with paint from paintball rifles.

Baboon Diet

Monkeys prefer plant food, but on occasion they will not refuse an animal. In search of suitable provisions, they cover from 20 to 60 km a day, merging (due to the color of their wool) with the main background of the area.

The diet of baboons contains:

fruits, rhizomes and tubers;
seeds and grass;
shellfish and fish;
insects;
feathered;
hares;
young antelopes.

But baboons have not been satisfied with the gifts of nature for a long time - tailed rogues got the hang of stealing provisions from cars, houses and garbage cans. In the southern regions of Africa, these monkeys are increasingly preying on livestock (sheep and goats).

It is interesting! Every year the appetite of primates is growing: observation of 16 groups of bear baboons showed that only one group is content with pasture, and the rest have long been retrained as raiders.

The ruthless African sun, drying up small rivers, forces us to find alternative sources of water. Monkeys trained to extract moisture by digging the bottom of dried-up reservoirs.

natural enemies

Predators shun mature baboons, especially those traveling in large herds, but will not miss the chance to attack a female, weakened or young primate.

In the open space above the herd, the threat of attack by such natural enemies as:

leopard;
spotted hyena;
jackal and red wolf;
hyena dogs;
Nile crocodile;
(rarely).

Young males, walking along the edges of the herd, continuously monitor the area and, seeing the enemy, line up in a crescent to cut him off from his relatives. An alarming bark becomes a signal of danger, upon hearing which, females with cubs huddle together, and males come forward.

They have a rather frightening appearance - an evil grin and rearing hair unambiguously hint at readiness for a merciless battle. The predator, who did not heed the threat, quickly feels in his own skin how the baboon army works harmoniously, and usually ingloriously retreats.

Reproduction and offspring

Not every male, with the beginning of the mating season, gets access to the body of a female: the lower the status and age of the applicant, the less his chances of reciprocity. Unlimited sexual contacts can only be with the dominant male, who has the preferential right to mate with any partner in the herd.

polygamy

In this regard, the results of observations that were carried out in enclosure conditions are very curious. Biologists found out how the age of a male correlates with polygamy, or rather, with the likelihood of acquiring his own harem. It was found that all 4–6 year old baboons that entered childbearing age were still bachelors. The harem, which consisted of one wife, was only in the possession of a single seven-year-old male.

It is interesting! The privilege of polygamy was given to aviary baboons who reached the age of 9, and over the next 3–4 years the right to an individual harem continued to be strengthened.

In the category of 9-11-year-old baboons, already half became polygamists, and the heyday of polygamy fell on the age of 12-14 years. Thus, among 12-year-old monkeys, 80% of individuals used personal harems. And, finally, the most extensive harems (compared to the younger age categories) were baboons who crossed the line of 13 and 14 years. But on the other hand, in 15-year-old males, the harems began to crumble little by little.

Birth of offspring

Baboons often fight for females, and in some species they do not leave her even after a successful sexual intercourse - they get food, give birth and help care for newborns. Pregnancy lasts from 154 to 183 days and ends with the birth of a single calf weighing approximately 0.4 kg. The baby, with a pink muzzle and black fur, clings to the mother's belly to travel with the mother, at the same time feeding on her milk. Having strengthened, the child moves to the back, stopping feeding milk by 6 months of age.

When the baboon is 4 months old, its muzzle darkens, and the coat lightens somewhat, acquiring gray or brown tones. The final species color usually appears by the year. Weaned primates unite in a related company, reaching fertility no earlier than 3–5 years. Young females always stay with their mother, and males tend to leave the herd without waiting for puberty.

Origin of the species and description

Baboons are also distinguished by their tail: as a rule, it is shorter than that of other monkeys, since it does not perform any important functions. The first third of the tail, coming from the back, curves and sticks up, while the rest hangs down. The monkey cannot move such a tail, it does not perform a grasping function.

Baboons move on four legs, but their front legs are sufficiently developed to perform grasping functions. The length of baboons varies depending on the subspecies: from 40 to 110 cm. A bear baboon can reach a mass of 30 kg. - the largest of the monkeys only.

The dog-like muzzle is another distinguishing feature of baboons. This is a long, narrow muzzle with close-set eyes, a long nose with nostrils looking up. Baboons have powerful jaws, which makes them formidable opponents in a fight, and their tough coat protects them from many bites of predators.

The muzzle of a baboon is not covered with hair or has a little down, acquired with age. The color of the muzzle can be black, brown or pink (almost beige). Bright is the ischial callus - usually black, brown or red. In females of some subspecies, it swells during the mating season and takes on a rich crimson color.

Where does the baboon live?

Baboons are heat-loving monkeys, but the habitat itself is not important to them. They can be found in, in, in rocky hills and in clay territory. Omnivorous makes them a common species.

Baboons live throughout the African continent, but the range is divided between different species:

bear baboon can be found in,;
baboon and anubis live in the north and equator of Africa;
Guinean lives in , and ;
hamadryas is located in, in the Aden region of the Arabian Peninsula and on.

Baboons are not afraid of people, and a pack lifestyle gives them even more self-confidence. Therefore, flocks of baboons settle on the outskirts of cities or in villages, where they steal food and even attack local residents. Rummaging through garbage and garbage heaps, they become carriers of dangerous diseases.

Interesting fact: In the last century, the baboons of the Cape Peninsula plundered plantations and killed settlers' livestock.

Usually baboons live on the ground, where they are engaged in gathering and - less often - hunting. Thanks to a clear social structure, they are not afraid, which easily get any monkeys vulnerable on earth. If the baboon wants to sleep, he climbs the nearest tree or any other hill, but sentinel baboons always remain, who are ready to notify the monkeys of the approaching danger.

Baboons do not build nests and do not create inhabited shelters - they simply feed in a certain territory and roam to a new one if food becomes scarce, water supplies are depleted, or there are too many predators around.

What does a baboon eat?

Baboons though prefer plant foods. In search of food, one individual is able to overcome up to 60 km, in which camouflage color helps her.

Typically, the diet of baboons includes:

fruit;
soft roots and tubers of plants;
seeds and green grass;
fish, crustaceans;
locusts, large larvae and other proteinaceous insects;
small birds;
small mammals, including;
occasionally baboons can eat carrion if the flock is hungry for a long time, although they do this extremely reluctantly.

Baboons are not shy or timid monkeys. Sometimes they can beat off fresh prey from solitary predators - young lions or jackals. Also, monkeys, adapted to life in cities, successfully raid cars and food stalls, from where they steal food.

Interesting fact: During periods of drought, baboons have learned to dig the bottom of dry rivers, taking out drops of moisture to quench their thirst.

Often baboons rummage through the garbage, where they also look for food. In South Africa, baboons are caught from the natives of sheep and poultry. Baboons get used to being raiders and, having successfully tried to steal food once, they get used to this occupation forever. But baboons are hardy animals, which allows them to go without food or even drink for a long time.

Now you know what a baboon eats. Let's see how he lives in the wild.

Features of character and lifestyle

Baboons are slow animals that lead a terrestrial lifestyle. Accordingly, they need a good system of protection against predators, which they provide a rigid hierarchy. There are about six males and twice as many females in a flock of baboons. The leader is the leader - usually an adult baboon. He directs the movements of the flock in search of food, is the main defense of the flock, and is the first to fight with attacking predators.

Interesting fact: Sometimes a strong male leader comes to overthrow two or three young males, who then manage the pack together.

Young males below the leader also have their own hierarchy: among them there are superior and inferior. Their status gives them an advantage in the choice of food, but at the same time, the higher the status, the more the male must participate in the active protection of the pack.

Young males watch around the clock to see if the flock is in any danger. Baboons have more than thirty sound signals announcing certain events, including alarms. If a dangerous predator is detected, the leader rushes to him, which uses massive jaws and sharp fangs. If the leader does not cope, other males can arrive in time to help.

Young males also participate in the defense if the pack is under group attack. Then a fight ensues, in which there are often dead - and not always on the side of the monkeys. Baboons fight mercilessly, act in a coordinated manner, which is why many predators simply bypass them.

An important part in the life of baboons is grooming - combing wool. It also shows the social status of the animal, because the most “combed out” is the leader of the pack. Among females there is also a hierarchy in grooming, but it does not affect their social status in general: all females are equally guarded by males.

Social structure and reproduction

Only the leader of the pack can mate indefinitely, the rest of the males, for the most part, do not have the right to mate with females at all. This is due to the fact that the leader has the best qualities that help monkeys survive - strength, endurance, aggressiveness. It is these qualities that should be passed on to potential offspring.

An adult male at the age of 9 starts his own harem of females. Males at 4-6 years old either have one female or do without them at all. But when the male outgrows the age of 15, his harem gradually disintegrates - the females go to younger males.

Interesting fact: Homosexual relationships are not uncommon among baboons. Sometimes two young males overthrow the old leader, while being in a homosexual relationship.

Baboons do not have a breeding season - females are ready to mate at the age of three. Baboons fight for females, but usually young males recognize the unquestioning right to mate for the leader. He has a great responsibility, because he does not leave pregnant females and females with cubs alone - he gets them food and regularly communicates with offspring. Young males who have acquired one female behave in a similar way, but they have closer relations with her.

Pregnancy lasts about 160 days, a small baboon weighs about 400 g. It clings tightly to the mother's belly with its paws, and in this position the mother carries it with her. When the baby becomes an adult and stops feeding on milk, he can follow the mother - this happens at the age of 6 months.

Interesting fact: Baboons have a feature common to pygmy chimpanzees. If a conflict arises within the flock, sometimes the hormone of aggression turns into the production of hormones of sexual arousal, and instead of a fight, the baboons have sexual intercourse.

At 4 months, a transitional age begins - the baboon's hair brightens, becomes thicker, acquires a color characteristic of the subspecies. The young are united in a group, which also establishes its own hierarchy. At 3-5 years old, males tend to leave the pack as early as possible, and young females prefer to stay with their mothers, occupying their niche in the pack hierarchy.

Natural enemies of the baboon

An adult male, as a rule, is able to cope with almost any threat by himself. Often a baboon can be seen in a fight with a leopard, from which the predator usually comes out as a loser - he quickly leaves the battlefield, sometimes acquiring serious wounds from the sharp fangs of the monkey.

Population and species status

Despite the fact that baboons are a very common species, there is still a threat of extinction in the future. This is facilitated by active deforestation and the development of savannahs and steppes in which baboons live.

On the other hand, the activities of poachers and climate change have affected the populations of predators such as lions, leopards and hyenas, which are among the main enemies of baboons. This allows baboons to multiply and uncontrollably, which makes some African regions overpopulated with this species of monkeys.

An increase in the animal population leads to the fact that baboons come into contact with people. Monkeys are aggressive and are carriers of many diseases, they also destroy plantations and livestock.

Baboons are a good specimen for scientists to study because they have similar electrophysical sleep stages to humans. Also, humans and baboons have a similar reproductive system, the same action of hormones and blood formation mechanisms.

Controlled breeding of baboons in zoos is a good measure of population control. Despite the aggressiveness baboon- an animal, which makes it even more in demand in the study.

In the dead of night, we left our cozy tent in an African village and headed for the rocky hills, lost in the plain. At dawn, the African savannah is fresh. We all leaned out the open sunroof of the car to watch the dawn. The wind blew our faces, burned by the merciless rays of the sun and bitten by midges. Thomson's gazelles overtook us and crossed the road in front of the car, as if inviting us to play catch-up. A family of lions, heavy with satiety, with muzzles still stained with blood, solemnly marched to the river. The disk of the sun has separated from the horizon. Long-legged black-and-white birds with a crest on their heads flew over our heads with a cry, obviously alarmed and dissatisfied with the intrusion of strangers into their possessions.

The hills, overgrown with acacias and thorny bushes, loomed against the fiery sky like a huge desert armadillo, a centuries-old guardian of these places. But as we approached, I became convinced that the hills were not at all as dead as they seemed from a distance. The living soul of this granite citadel is a noisy but well-organized tribe of the most intelligent, strong and independent monkeys of the African savanna - baboons.

A large family of dog-headed monkeys, consisting of about a hundred animals, spent the night on steep ledges of rocks and on the branches of acacias, so as not to become the prey of their mortal enemy, the leopard. They wake up with the first rays of the sun, stretch, yawn and generally behave in exactly the same way as people upon awakening. Then they bask in the sun and with apparent pleasure look for fleas from each other.

From a hiding place between two stones, we calmly observed the life of the tribe through binoculars. Our attention was attracted by several strong large monkeys, to whom a thick collar of coarse hair, covering the back and shoulders and growing luxuriantly on the cheeks, gave a particularly imposing appearance. They walked solemnly among their less respectable compatriots, who respectfully made way for them. The two giants lounged lazily in the sun, from time to time glancing condescendingly at the females, who diligently searched for fleas. These are privileged leader males.

Many other males were no less respectable, but they, apparently, stood at the lower levels of society and represented the "middle class". Every now and then they climbed to the very top of the monkey citadel and watched the horizon, apparently performing the functions of lookouts.

Females were significantly smaller than males and did not have fur collars. They were located in the center of the hill, close to the leader males. Some females nursed their cubs, others chatted like gossips in the market, each with tenderness watching her frolicking offspring.

Suddenly, as if on cue, the leader males got up and set off. The mothers hurriedly grabbed the babies, and they, clinging to the wool, climbed onto the backs of the females and settled comfortably there. The lookouts left their towers and quickly settled in the vanguard and on the flanks. Several males lingered and covered the rear guard in two rows. Then a flock of monkeys with amazing dexterity descended the granite screes and emerged into the open savannah. They moved without disturbing the formation, putting into their mouths everything edible that they met along the way: grass, leaves, insects, snails, bulbs, roots. A prosperous tribe of baboons began their new day on the savannah, where they are constantly threatened by lions, leopards or exchange dogs, and in an open area where there are no trees, the proverbial dexterity of monkeys cannot help them.

How, after all, do many monkeys manage to safely live their lives among ferocious, strong and greedy predators?

Watching the baboons for twelve hours, until sunset, when the flock returned to their fortress, we have been enriched with information that makes more understandable the notes of Irwin de Vore, who devoted many years to the study of these monkeys. We realized that it was the environment of predatory animals that brought up courage, stamina and quick wits in baboons; gave rise to the hierarchical structure of the monkey society, where males perform the mission of defenders, protect babies and sick animals. This draws the attention of anthropologists to baboons, who, by studying the behavior of monkeys, are trying to figure out the lifestyle of the first anthropoids.

But let us digress from the baboons and recall in general terms the characteristic features of a group of animals, which, of course, should interest us, since we ourselves belong to it. I mean primates and higher mammals.

When it comes to monkeys, an inexperienced person imagines a rainforest, giant trees entwined with vines and creepers, where these dexterous creatures perform the most difficult acrobatic stunts to get delicious fruits from a tree branch or flee from their enemies. Indeed, with the exception of a few genera of monkeys - baboons, macaques and others that live on the ground, most primates live in trees.

This is what determined their specific features, physical and mental. Four long movable free fingers and the fifth, large, set aside, form a tenacious brush, very convenient for climbing trees. The pads on the palms, the thin tactile centers concentrated in the fingertips, and the flat nails make them unsurpassed climbers.

In primitive mammals, the eyes are located on the sides of the skull. This arrangement of visual centers allows you to view the space from two sides without turning your head, which is very convenient for observing enemies, but excludes stereoscopic vision. It is possible to distinguish all the features of the relief, the shape of objects, and calculate the distance only if the eyes are in the same plane: this is how the visual apparatus of primates is arranged.

Tree monkeys, who had to calculate the jump in order not to fall from a great height, needed such vision.

The sense of smell is the most valuable and necessary sense for animals living on earth, especially for nocturnal ones, in which vision plays a secondary role. For tree-dwelling monkeys, where scents from the ground are lost and mixed with other scents, the sense of smell becomes less important. Obviously, therefore, the olfactory abilities of monkeys are gradually weakening. For animals that spend most of their lives on trees, vocal cords are very important, they communicate with each other in sounds in dense foliage. Therefore, monkeys have the finest hearing and are "talkative".

Today, at the end of sixty million years of evolution, all members of the order of primates, from the mysterious aye-aye, who beats the fraction on the trees with long, drumstick-like fingers, and ending with man, the conqueror of space, are characterized by dexterity and mobility of hands, a tendency to vertical position of the body, subtlety of hearing and touch, sharpness and stereoscopic vision, large, well-developed brain.

Primates include primitive prosimians, American monkeys, and Old World monkeys. The branch of anthropoids is separated from the latter. Each group has its own characteristics. The semi-monkeys, or lemurs, currently concentrated on the island of Madagascar, are, as it were, living evidence of past stages of development. They have many features typical of the ancient varieties of these animals.

American monkeys have a long, strong, tenacious tail, a real fifth limb, free of hair at the end and equipped with the most sensitive epithelial cells, which allows, for example, a spider monkey to easily pick up peanuts with its tail and hang quietly on it on a tree branch.

Old world monkeys have red calluses on their buttocks. These pads of rough, insensitive skin adhere directly to the bones and allow the animal to spend nights sitting on a sharp rock or on a tree branch without feeling pain. In addition, the pads protect against circulatory disorders.

Humanoids are distinguished by extraordinary mobility of the shoulder, elbow and wrist. This allows them, hanging on one branch, to freely transfer the body to another. This mode of movement contributed to the increase in the growth of humanoids, which reached the size of a gorilla or orangutan, moving only on the ground. The chimpanzee and gibbon have the highest speed of movement through the trees, one of which lives in Africa, the other in Asia.

Meanwhile, a herd of our baboons was reaching the bank of a small river, intending to get drunk. Before approaching the water, they reared up on their hind limbs, carefully examined the surroundings and, apparently, strained their hearing. The lack of smell is compensated for by the baboon's extraordinary quick wits. Often in situations like this, baboons wait patiently for zebras, known for their keen sense of smell, to come to the watering hole. If there are lions nearby, then the zebras, having described several circles near the reservoir, are removed without quenching their thirst.

Mutation, natural selection, the biological environment, the nature of nutrition made baboons completely different from their blood brothers - thin-bodied, or colobus, who never leave the tops of trees. Monkeys living in the forests escape their enemies by climbing to the very top of the trees and deftly jumping from tree to tree. From such a lifestyle, their limbs lengthened, their bodies became lean and light. The same monkeys who spend a significant part of their lives on earth have to defend themselves from enemies. Hence the powerful muscles of baboons. They have a wide, stocky body, very strong shoulders. The special structure of the jaws gives the baboon's head a resemblance to that of a dog. Thanks to the large, formidable fangs of males, the organization and aggressiveness of the pack, this kind of monkey tribe feels quite confident on earth. The teeth of a baboon are longer than those of a leopard or wild dog.

When a herd of baboons is on the way, females with cubs take their place in the middle of the flock. They are guarded by leader males. In the forefront and rearguard are sentinel males, younger and more agile than leaders, but less strong and hardy.

With a harmless opponent, like a jackal or a hyena, young males cope. It is enough for them to ruffle their hair and show fangs for the predator to get out of the way. But as soon as the leopard appears, the young males walking in front begin to emit furious cries, something like a short, shrill bark that acts on the leader males like a calling cry. Without hesitation or hesitation, the leader baboons rush at the enemy. If a predator took possession of a prey - a cub or a female, but did not have time to hide with it among the branches of trees, large males rush at it and instantly tear it to pieces, although this often costs the life of two or three monkeys. Females with offspring for the duration of the fight under the protection of several males retreat to a safe place.

With only two enemies, baboons do not dare to fight - with a lion and a man. With the first - because he does not hunt alone, and with the second - because of his firearms. But when lions or a man are chasing a flock, leader baboons always cover the retreat of females and take care of their salvation only when the females with cubs are safe.

Forest monkeys, including gorillas and orangutans, have a peaceful and even timid nature. But in baboons and macaques, a terrestrial way of life, full of dangers, developed courage and militancy. But these qualities would lose their value if not combined with the iron discipline and clear hierarchical structure of ape society. Otherwise, fights over females and territory would lead the baboons to self-destruction.

The organization of the life of the flock testifies to the high degree of development of baboons. They are subordinate not to one leader, but to the aristocratic elite, into which any male with the appropriate physical and mental data can fall.

Among females, the hierarchy is not so strict. Motherhood ensures their transition to a privileged class. When a young female, standing at any rung of the social ladder, approaches puberty, she, with the full benevolence of old aristocratic males, can play love games with young males of a lower rank. But during the period most favorable for conception, the male leader connects with her and protects her until the birth of the cub. Thus, more highly organized and stronger males fertilize the healthiest females and thus contribute to natural selection.

From the moment the cub is born to its independence (this period usually lasts two years), the mother occupies a privileged position in the pack under the protection of the leader males and is surrounded by the care of other females. The cubs in the flock are treated with extraordinary tenderness and care. Young females, at every opportunity, play with babies, male leaders, forgetting about their importance, tumble with them in the sand, and show no less caution and affection than their own mother. Newborn monkeys are completely helpless creatures, and the whole flock sparing no effort takes part in their upbringing. It's no secret that we humans do the same.

It is much more difficult for a male to get into the privileged elite. To do this, he needs years of struggle. The battles for power between males are not of a cruel, bloody nature. Usually such fights are limited to a tournament of threats. Opponents exchange vicious glances, threateningly baring their fangs, ruffling their fur, hitting the ground with their Limbs. Threats are accompanied by piercing screams, sniffling and growling. If all these actions do not reach the goal and the battle turns out to be inevitable, then the vanquished always has a sure means to calm the winner and save his life. It is enough for him to turn his back to the enemy, as females do during estrus. The winner then feigns copulation and then proudly returns to the center of the cheerleading group. In the following days, the male who won the victory repeatedly approaches the former contender for power and looks at him menacingly. The defeated dutifully offers his ass to the formidable opponent, and he calms down.

Leader males treat each other with respect and jointly inflict reprisals on young rebels. The leaders are responsible for maintaining order in the pack. If a teenager treats a female or a cub roughly, the retribution of the male who keeps order does not keep itself waiting: he immediately rushes to the offender and bites him on the neck.

Members of the elite are highly respected in the pack. The young male rarely dares to step into the sacred territory occupied by the leading males, and helpfully makes way for the leader when he heads towards him. Approaching an old male at a distance of three meters is already considered an unforgivable liberty. From the vicious circle of their proud loneliness, male aristocrats arrogantly look at their subordinates, and woe to those who dare not lower their gaze before them. The male leader enjoys unlimited privileges, occupies the most convenient place in the pack, eats what he wants and where he wants, chooses any female and demands complete submission from fellow tribesmen. But when a strong enemy threatens - a lion or a leopard, the leader enters into a deadly fight with him, while the rest of the pack members watch the battle, sitting in the trees.

A group of baboons, which we followed at some distance, devoted the morning to foraging. Neither a lizard, nor a grasshopper, nor the smallest rodent, nor bird eggs escaped their keen eyes. On occasion, they kill hares and young gazelles and feast on their meat.

At noon, the flock settled down near the rocks in the shade of acacias. This is the afternoon rest time. The leaders and female mothers slept, taking possession of the most convenient places, the younger generation frolic, and sentinel males guarded. Finally, sleep overcame everyone.

We ourselves resisted it with difficulty, sitting on the roof of the all-terrain vehicle and languishing from the heat. Scavengers hung motionless in the sky, flies buzzed annoyingly. During these hours, life in the savanna stops, animals seek refuge from the scorching rays of the sun under the canopy of bushes and rocks, in deep caves. Only corpulent, marmot-like hyraxes move among the rocks, not for a moment stopping stuffing their stomachs with leaves and nourishing roots. We thought about the relationship that connects these small strange animals with giant elephants. I tried to see through binoculars their flat, proboscis-like claws, which gave zoologists reason to draw a parallel between hyraxes and elephants.

Hyraxes move among the rocks with amazing dexterity, unexpected for their heavy build. Special pads on their paws, like sponge rubber, stick to the rocks. For weeks, they can go without water: their kidneys have the ability to produce viscous, thick urine and therefore excrete very little fluid from the body. Perhaps it is this ability that allows them to neglect their midday rest and calmly walk around on hot granite in the heat of the day.

I was distracted from my thoughts by the stampede of the hyraxes into their holes. Crawling into the crevices of the rocks, they whistled piercingly. The baboons raised a cry. A strange, ever-increasing buzz made us turn our heads. We saw a buffoon eagle emerging from its peak, which rose, touching the granite rocks with its wide wings. He did not have time to grab the prey: the hyrax darted into the crevice. Buffoon eagles are distinguished by their characteristic silhouette. The short tail allows them to see their legs stretched back with curved claws when flying. Choosing a victim, the buffoon soars at such a height that it is not visible from the ground. It attacks from the side of the sun and rushes to prey with wings pressed to the body. The attack of the buffoon eagle is always unexpected, since it is absolutely impossible to notice it in the dazzling rays of the sun, especially since the lower part of the bird's body is covered with white feathers, with the exception of a dark stripe bordering the wings. With this coloring, his silhouette completely dissolves in a stream of light.

However, hyraxes, which suffer more than other animals from the aggressiveness of the buffoon eagle, are armed with some means of protection from their enemy. According to zoologist Leslie Brown, the hyrax is the only animal that can calmly look at the sun. It was this property that served as the source of the legend about the blindness of hyraxes.

Meanwhile, evening twilight came on, and the baboons began to prepare for the return journey. At this time, the flock eats a second time. Following the monkey tribe, we traveled about ten kilometers without leaving the small area of twenty-five square kilometers, which the baboons chose to live in.

The attachment of these creatures to their native places is worthy of surprise. Day after day, they set off on the road at dawn, without changing their usual route and stopping at the same places to quench their thirst and hunger. With neighboring flocks, they meet only on the borders of their territory and in no man's land, where different flocks gather to drink and rest. Oddly enough, the monkeys, warlike and restless creatures, pretend not to notice the representatives of other flocks. The leaders behave as if foreign rivals do not exist. Attempts made by researchers to force baboons to go beyond their territory were unsuccessful. When approaching the fatal line, the animal showed anxiety, and then turned back, and no bait could force it to violate the border.

Thanks to such a strict observance of sovereignty between the monkeys, despite their aggressive nature, there are no clashes. Unfortunately, man has not inherited from the monkey the enviable ability to maintain peace.

The rocky citadel of the baboons was golden in the last rays of the sun. The sentinel males were the first to arrive and began surveying the bushes and crevices where the leopard might be hiding. The rest of the flock gathered on the inner platform. The kids frolicked and squealed merrily, and the leader males looked up warily, as if waiting for a signal. When the sentinel males returned from reconnaissance, the flock began to move and began to climb the upper tiers of the citadel. With the onset of night, each member of the pack chose a branch on a tree or a ledge of rock, inaccessible to the leopard, where you can safely spend the night.

Night inspires all primates with inexplicable fear. Who among us has not dreamed that he is falling into a terrible, dark abyss? More than one human ancestor lost his life, falling in a dream from a tree or a ledge of a rock. Perhaps this is where our instinctive fear of the emptiness that opens up before us in a dream comes from.

Twilight gave way to darkness, silence descended on the rock. At this hour, a silent, like a shadow, leopard makes a night round. Carefully and carefully he examines every rock, every tree, every bush, and woe to that baboon who neglected precautions and did not take care of a safe haven for the night. According to statistics, the main prey of a leopard during a night hunt is baboons. In those parts of Africa where hunting for leopards is not limited, baboons have multiplied so much that they have become a real disaster for plantations. The African leopard is the best regulator of baboon numbers.

After the baboons, the green monkeys became the object of our observations, among which we spent the whole day in Tsavo. We not only photographed them closely and stroked their green wool, but also shared sandwiches with them, rested together after dinner under the canopy of acacia trees, drove in the same car and admired the cheerful games of the kids with emotion. Among African animals, there is no creature more sweet, willful and cheerful than a baby monkey, frolicking in freedom.

In Asia and Africa, three multi-species groups of monkeys - colobus, or thin-bodied, long-tailed monkeys and dog-headed monkeys - which unite sixteen genera, including more than two hundred varieties ( In the family of monkey-like monkeys, to which all the animals listed by the author belong, there are 15 genera, which include 58 species of colobus, real marmosets, macaques, baboons and other monkeys). African long-tailed monkeys are the easiest to watch, thanks to their trusting, cheerful disposition. Some groups of green monkeys belonging to the genus of common monkeys have become quite comfortable with the presence of photographers and naturalists among them. One such group lives in the valley of the Tsavo River - one of the most beautiful places in the reserve. For four days they were our inseparable companions, and we made the most interesting observations on the females and cubs that were born shortly before our arrival.

In all primates, including humans, twins, triplets, and so on are born very rarely. Monkeys usually have one baby. This is a consequence of life on trees. As soon as he sees the light, the baby, closely clinging to his mother, begins to travel with her from branch to branch. The mother is vigilantly watching the cub, vigilantly making sure that he does not break. The presence of two or three cubs would inevitably weaken her attention.

The newborn monkey has very strong and tenacious limbs, with which it clings tightly to the wool on the sides and stomach of the mother. The cub hangs on the chest of the mother, who freely jumps with this light load through the trees. The cub, at any time, can suck milk from the mother's breast, wrapping its paws around its sides. Females treat their offspring with extraordinary tenderness. No treats could make them let go of the kids. Green monkeys, like baboons, show amazing care for their children.

A newborn baboon has a pink muzzle, not overgrown with hair, and the body is covered with black hair. At four months, the muzzle of a small baboon begins to darken, and the hair on the body becomes brown. During this period, mothers are no longer so attentive to babies, but males, young and old, double their attention to them and take part in their amusements with pleasure. At ten months, the baboon acquires the usual coloring for adult monkeys and spends time not next to its mother, but in the company of its peers, imitating adult monkeys in everything in games.

The baboon goes through three phases of development. The first is complete dependence on the mother, the second is children's games, the third is learning. To prove how important the role of the first two phases is, Wisconsin professor Harry Harlow did several experiments that are now widely known among primatologists.

Harlow placed several baby rhesus monkeys with "artificial mothers" - dolls with nipples. Half of the dummies had a torso lined with a fabric similar to macaque fur. The rest of the metal structure was not covered by anything. All babies chose dolls with fur, although not all "clothed mothers" had nipples connected to milk tanks. For the cubs, contact with the mother was more important than milk. Professor Harlow proved in a series of experiments that, far from "artificial mothers," little macaques are afraid of a toy bear cub beating a drum. However, if the mother doll is nearby and the baby can touch her in a moment of danger, he quickly calms down and begins to play with the toy that just inspired fear in him.

Harlow kept another batch of monkeys in individual cages isolated from each other. After some time, they were let into cages with other monkeys. Little hermits did not participate in common games, they were afraid of their own kind, and when they reached puberty, they were unable to copulate. In the third group, part of the macaque cubs, deprived of the opportunity to play with their peers, lived in cages together with "artificial mothers", part could observe what was happening in the common cage, part was completely isolated. As a result, everyone had defects, especially in the last group, where there was a higher percentage of nervous and mental abnormalities. On the other hand, the monkeys, who were united with their comrades for twenty minutes a day, adapted perfectly among normal macaques.

Professor Harlow's experiments proved that monkey games in the wild are not just a tribute to a frisky age, but exercises that prepare the animal physically and mentally for life among their own kind. Psychologists who observed a person in similar situations came to similar conclusions. Children's games, the emergence of family ties, kinship and friendship can be attributed to the initial stage of the evolution of human thought.

The baboon belongs to the order of primates and forms a genus in which there are 5 species. This monkey is remarkable in that it has a muzzle resembling a dog's. All species live in sub-Saharan Africa. One species, namely hamadryas, also lives on the Arabian Peninsula. There is a version that people brought this population to Arabia in ancient times. Some experts believe that 2 more species of monkeys living in Central and South Africa can be attributed to the genus of baboons. However, people still have too little knowledge about the morphological, genetic and behavioral diversity of these animals. Therefore, it is very difficult to make a final decision on this issue.

All members of the genus have long dog muzzles, powerful jaws with sharp fangs, closely spaced eyes, thick fur except for the muzzle, short tails, and ischial calluses on the buttocks. All species have pronounced sexual dimorphism. Females differ from males in the shape of the muzzle, size, and sometimes the color of the skin. Male hamadryas have large white manes. Males are almost 2 times larger than the weaker sex. They also have more powerful fangs. The tail of an animal is curved. One third of the base is directed upwards, and the rest hangs down.

The sizes depend on the type. These monkeys are divided into bear baboon, guinea baboon, anubis, hamadryas and baboon. The first type is considered the largest. The body length of these animals can reach 120 cm with a weight of 40 kg. Other types are smaller. The smallest is the Guinean species with a body length of 50 cm and a weight of 14 kg. The color of the coat depends entirely on the species and varies from brown to silver. Hair does not grow on the muzzle. It can be pink or black. There is also no hair on the back of the body. During the mating season, the buttocks of females swell and turn red.

Reproduction and lifespan

The behavior of monkeys during the mating season largely depends on the social structure. In mixed groups, males can mate with any females, while the social status of the male plays an important role, which sometimes provokes fights between rivals. However, there are more subtle relationships between the sexes. Friendship develops between male and female. At the same time, the representative of the stronger sex helps the lady take care of the offspring, brings food and takes the cub during childbirth.

Pregnancy lasts 6 months. 1 cub is born. It weighs approximately 400 g. Milk feeding lasts 1 year. Sexual maturity occurs at the age of 5-7 years. Young males leave the group even before puberty, and females remain for life in the flock in which they were born. In the wild, a baboon lives for about 30 years. Life expectancy in captivity is 45 years.

Behavior and nutrition

These animals live not only in wooded areas, but also in the open savannah, semi-desert, therefore they unite in large groups to protect themselves from predators. They spend most of their time on the ground, but they are excellent at climbing trees. They move on 4 legs, sleep in trees or climb rocks. In search of food, they can travel tens of kilometers a day. The herd usually has an average of 50 animals.

The task of young males is to protect other monkeys from predators. Collective protection always gives a very good effect. In addition, baboons are distinguished by their courage and rush at the enemy without fear. These animals are omnivores, but mostly herbivores. They feed on insects, mollusks, prey on fish, birds, hares, small antelopes. They can raid human possessions. In South Africa, these primates abduct goats and sheep.