Hamadryas baboon

Habitat
Open savannas, cliffs, mountainsides, and deserts in eastern Africa

Age
Up to 30 years

Weight
Females: Up to 10 kg
Males: Up to 18 kg

Height
61-72 cm

Gestation period
5.5 – 6 months

Number of offspring
1 offspring

Conservation status
Not threatened

Did you know…

• There are five species of baboons. All species are diurnal.
• The baboons you can experience in Knuthenborg are of the species called hamadryas baboon.
• Baboon troops can consist of over 200 individuals if they live in an area with enough food for everyone.
• Baboons spend more time on the ground than other primates.
• Hamadryas baboons are the most terrestrial of all baboon species.
• Baboons spend the majority of the day foraging, searching for food.
• In the evening, baboons return to their designated sleeping spots, usually on cliffs.
• In Knuthenborg’s baboon enclosure, there are no cliffs, but large trees that the baboons climb up to in the evenings.
• A fully grown male hamadryas baboon develops a prominent silver mane.
• If he later loses his females, he also loses this mane and instead acquires a brown mane similar to a female’s.
• Hamadryas baboons have a complex language consisting of vocalizations, facial expressions, and body language.
• They have at least 10 different vocalizations, including grunts, alarm calls, and smacking sounds.
• Baboons spend a significant amount of time grooming each other, picking and brushing through each other’s fur with their fingers, which strengthens the strong social bond within the group.

Meet the baboons in Abeskoven.