Dec 24, 2008

Yawning Baboons

This is what a chacma baboon (Papio ursinus) looks like when it yawns. Imagine what it looks like when it's displeased? He can probably put those fangs, which are larger than a cheetah's, to good use.

Chacmas are the largest monkeys out there, weighing in at 59 - 97 lbs. They live in groups called troops, led by an alpha male and female. Their society is complicated, but basically revolves around becoming and staying dominant (much like middle school). When on the move (which is almost always), the alpha pair leads with the male in front, while the other males form a ring around the rest of the females and the young. Males will commonly become foster parents to little ones who have lost their mother.

Some more factoids: they can live up to 45 years, can run 35-40 miles an hour, and even their principal predator, the leopard, takes them on with great caution.

I recommend checking out more of Gerhard's. photos. He's a triple threat: he is a fantastic photographer, he actually lives next to a nature reserve in Africa, and he knows his zoology. That's a sure-fire recipe for great photos. I'll be bringing a few more of his photos to light shortly.

7 comments:

Tessa said...

Hey! I pull that face when my alarm goes off in the morning!

Alison said...

Is yawning considered a threat signal with these guys? I know that's true with some primates...maybe I should just go read what Gerhard has to say about it, hmmm?

Denita TwoDragons said...

Flartus: If I remember correctly, yawning *is* a threat among baboons. It's a way to show off those impressive fangs!

I love the windblown look of the critter in the second picture, too...LOL

--TwoDragons

poiupoiu01 said...

those yellow teeth are DISGUSTING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Unknown said...

Thank you for the kind words and the link back to my photo page. Much appreciated.

Kind regards

Gerhard Theron

Raging Wombat said...

No, Gerhard, thank you.

Anonymous said...

This is so cool!!!!!!!! I love animals so its interesting 2 me