Illinois Zoos, Aquariums and Wildlife

Baboons are a lot like humans when it comes to male baldness. Some go bald, some do not.

Baboons are some of the world's largest monkeys. Males average from 33 to 82 pounds depending on their species. They are 20 to 40 inches long. Female baboons are nearly one-half the size of adult males. The females lack the male's ruff (long hairs around the neck), but otherwise they are similar in appearance. Like other Old World monkeys, baboons do not have prehensile (gripping) tails.

There are five different species of baboons. All of them live in Africa or Arabia.

They climb trees to sleep, eat, or look out for trouble but they spend much of their time on the ground.

Baboons eat fruits, grass, seeds barks and roots. They are fond of picking through crops. Intelligent and crafty, they can be agricultural pests, so they are treated as vermin rather than wildlife. Baboons also have a taste for meat eating rodents, birds, and even the young of larger mammals, such as antelopes and sheep.

Baboons can live in a variety of habitats and are extremely adaptable. The major requirements for any habitat seems to be water sources and safe sleeping places either in tall trees or on cliff faces.

Baboons are very social and are stressed when isolated. A sheltered sleeping site, often on a cliff face, may be shared by as many as 800 baboons from several troops.

To communicate with other members of the troop, baboons use over 30 vocalizations ranging from grunts to barks to screams. Non-vocal gestures include yawns, lip smacking and shoulder shrugging.

A direct stare is a threat. To threaten in return, they will raise their eyebrows, showing their white eyelid and partially open their mouth, displaying formidable canines. Intensifying the threat, they may yawn, raise their hair, slap their hands and feet on the ground, grind their teeth and scream. They have many calls; alarm is given by a dog-like bark.