Nov 8, 2009

Cranky

Hamadryas baboons have a complicated social life, with the silvery male (see the brute below) having upwards of ten females in his family. A group of families forms a clan, a group of clans forms a band, and several bands form a troop. To further illustrate their complexity (from Big Zoo):

Males will forcefully steal females from other bands, but will not steal from their own family. Instead, they very gradually win over a juvenile female without confrontation. Young males inherit females from their father. Thus the father's social status is passed on to his sons. Females are much smaller than males, so they are not as forceful. However, if a female does not favor her male, she will have a much higher chance of being "stolen" from her male.

Photo source: Gary Heller

























The males always look cranky, especially when in full bloom like this one. It's gotta be something in the way their fur is immaculately crimped, or how it looks like someone slammed a baseball bat square on the top of their head. Or maybe it's the tubular nostrils. Regardless, I'll be staying on this side of the fence, away from both his fangs and his feces.

9 comments:

  1. Wow, that is a pretty good crimping job. Wish I could style my hair like that too!

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  2. this looks like someone I know.. which leads me to think: You should start featuring humans on this blog.

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  3. @hollie - hahahaha.. it looks like someone i know too..hehehe..
    ang look at his hands. looks like gay isnt it? lol..

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  4. i know a few people that look like
    this.

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  5. what a marvelous genuine idea this blog have...looking forward for more interesting funny yet ugly animals photo

    - simple hi from Indonesia -

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  6. Woah,
    at first I thought someone had used a computer to morph its face to look look like that. It's kinda creepy. It looks like those people you're always trying to avoid....

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  7. Hahaha, you are too funny. And yes, it's hideous. I'll stay on this side of the fence with you and if it keeps staring, I'll throw you over and make a run for it! (:

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