What I have learned about Chacma Baboon Troops.
An animal I give wide berth when we end up sharing the same path. They stand their ground, normally bark at you, with a face is similar to that of a large dog, moving in family troops throughout Southern Africa. Word of warning, treat them with respect!
Chacma Baboon families can reach up to 50 individuals in a troop, they are highly intelligent, the largest of all the monkeys, males reaching around 1.5 m from head to tail in length, weighing in at approximately 33 kg, females are considerably smaller.
Males and Female above you will see size difference, once they have a definite territory to wander and forage in, they will avoid other troops rather than fight.
Troops move in a distinct family order, dominant males go to the front leading, scouting out safety ahead, while the females and young are in the middle with inferior males becoming the rear guard.
Photo of the troop enjoying the last of the sun, while family members preen or nibble on roots and grasses, males are always on the lookout for danger.
Baby Chacma Baboons hitch a ride on their mothers back after six weeks of age, scampering around learning the life requirements by playing with older children in the group.
Baboons normally shelter in caves or overhanging rocks offering good cover. Moving around finding food during the day, resting up during the heat of the day, continuing their journey back to their home, rinse and repeat daily.
As omnivores, baboons eat a wide array of meats and plants. Wild fruit, nuts, roots, small buck, coastal baboons will eat mussels off the rocks, really living off the land. They are hunted by big cats lion, leopard and cheetah are their predators in the wild.
Humans have built homes where baboons highway to food used to be, the Cape Peninsula is only area where baboons continue to raid homes. Not endangered, authorities carefully monitoring since the baboons are able to be extremely aggressive.
Chacma Baboons do use a variety of sounds with grunts, barking or screaming to vocalize what is happening around them. Non-vocal expressions are used yawning, shrugging their shoulders, my favourite if you close enough to see them smacking their lips back in an aggressive stance, enough to make you change direction quickly.
Male baboons have teeth longer than those of a lion, when visiting South Africa especially the Cape, please remember there is conflict between humans and baboons sharing certain areas, avoid feeding them, if they help themselves... let them have it!
Baboons live to around 30 years in age, they are intelligent, very capable of looking after themselves.
This is the first time I witnessed these baboons in the Isimangaliso Wetlands Park, normally we see them in the Drakensberg. Not living near the Cape we do not have a problem with baboons, we have Vervet Monkeys a very much smaller breed.
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!steemitworldmap -28.1232 lat 32.5564 long Chacma Baboon - Isimangaliso Wetlands Park D3SCR
