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Tuesday 20 December 2011

Baboon

The Ancient Egyptians trained baboons to wait at tables.

A chacma baboon named Jack attained a measure of fame in the late 19th century for acting as an assistant to a disabled railroad signalman in South Africa. Jack was paid twenty cents a day, and a half-bottle of beer each week. In his nine years of employment with the railroad, Jack never made a mistake.

A Baboon called "Jackie" became a private in the South African army in World War I.

A baboon gang roamed around Cape Town, led by Fred the baboon (died 25 March 2011) and were pursued for three years by police after they became notorious for raiding cars, assaulting and interfering with tourists.

Fred eating in a car. Wikipedia 

During the 2014 Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa, a large baboon ran on to the green as former World Number One Golfer Luke Donald was setting up a shot — sending him scurrying for cover.


Males, with head and body up to 1.1 m/3.5 ft long, are larger than females.

Baboons have strong, elongated jaws, large cheek pouches in which they store food, and eyes close together. 

They have large, often brightly colored, hairless areas on their buttocks and thick, sturdy legs. 

The baboon's tail is short and is carried high in an arch. 

The largest of the baboons is the chacma baboon (Papio ursinus), also known as the Cape baboon of South Africa. The adult male may weigh up to 68 kg (150 lb) and is a formidable fighter against the troop’s enemies, including the South African farmers whose crops it may ravage. 

By Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE - Chacma Baboon 

They inhabit Africa and southwestern Arabia.

Baboons live in large herds, called troops, inhabiting rocky, open lands and wooded areas. Their troops are often composed of 200 or 300 members

The most wide-ranging of all baboons, the olive baboon inhabits savannas, steppes, and forests in 25 countries throughout Africa.

Olive baboon with juvenile. By Charlesjsharp - Own work,

Baboons can distinguish colors and have a keen sense of smell. 

They eat various eggs, worms, insects, reptiles, fruits, and young shoots.

After a gestation period of about six months, a female usually bears a single offspring, which clings to its mother’s underside. 

Baboons have several different calls, each of which has a meaning. 

Baboons cannot throw overhand.


A troop of pet-keeping Hamadryas baboons living in a garbage dump outside of Ta'if, Saudi Arabia are known to kidnap puppies of wild dogs. They then raise them as guard dogs to protect the baboon clan.

Sources Hutchinson Encyclopedia © RM 2011, Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia

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