Random Fascinating Things You Might Not Know About Gelada Baboons (12 items)

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  (#3) Geladas Perform Coordinated Raids On Human Farms

  Like all primates, geladas are highly intelligent creatures with the ability to perform some levels of higher reasoning. They also have the ability to communicate with one another, and can even organize raiding parties to try and steal food from farmers. Though conflict with humans has increased, the situation has come to a head when humans started farming on the gelada's native land. With their feeding grounds disappearing, geladas are at a higher risk of starvation and may be performing these high-risk raids as an act of desperation. 
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  (#6) They Have A Distinctive 'Heart' On Their Chests

  Geladas have sometimes been called “bleeding heart” baboons because of the unusual strips of coloration on their chests. While they are mostly covered in fur, geladas have bald chests which expose a distinctive red patch of skin right in the center of their chest. This bizarre feature is very important for the geladas, especially when it comes to mating. When a female gelada is ready to mate, her chest flushes bright red to signal to the nearby males she's in estrous. The chest of the males will also become red when they are flushed with testosterone, and the largest, alpha males tend to have the brightest displays.
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  (#7) They Have Highly Developed Communication Skills

  Primates are renowned for their cleverness, and the gelada is no exception. 
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  (#9) They Have A Complicated Social Hierarchy

  As primates, it’s no surprise that geladas have complicated social structures with multiple class distinctions. Like many other species, families are dominated by an alpha male who has special privileges in the tribe. However, they often do not claim exclusive mating rights with the females of the group. 

  Research has shown many alphas will allow younger males into his group, bachelors who will attempt to mate with members of the alpha's harem. While this may seem like a bad deal for the alpha, it actually benefits the group. Even though the alpha has some competition from the younger males, on average he will still father about 83% of the children. The added defense benefit of having a few extra males around makes this a good deal for everyone involved.
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  (#11) They Live In The Mountains Of Ethiopia

  Geladas are indigenous to the mountainous peaks of northern Ethiopia. They have adapted to a high altitude lifestyle and are known to be tremendous climbers, living in a range of 6,000 to about 16,000 feet above sea level. The once numerous species of the genus Theropithecus used to live in a range that stretched from Africa to India, but what's left of the grass-eating primates can now only be found on the cliff faces of east Africa.
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  (#10) They Are The Last Of The Grazing Primates

  Geladas are the last living representatives of the genus Theropithecus, a once-prosperous group of primates that roamed the plains of Africa and Asia. They are distinct from other primates for their graminivorous diet, the only ones known to feed almost exclusively on grass. 

  While geladas were once common in the highlands of Ethiopia, their numbers have reduced dramatically due to urban and agricultural development in their habitat. They are not listed as endangered, their population has declined by roughly 50% in the last several decades. If they continue to lose their territory to humans, the Theropithecus branch of the primate tree may disappear for good.

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