The largest monkey in the group of baboons. Baboon monkey. The baboon's lifestyle and habitat. Distribution and movement

A newborn baboon first clings tightly to the fur on its mother's chest. When he grows up a little, he will move onto her back. Over time, the baby begins to go downstairs more and more often to play with his peers.

Baboons belong to the superfamily of canine-like monkeys, which consists of two families. In addition to the baboon, monkeys include the common macaque, the black-crested Sulawesi baboon, the mandrill and drill, the gelada, the mapgobay or black-faced monkey, and the red hussar monkey. The family of slender monkeys consists of langurs, rhinopithecus, short-nosed slender monkeys, pygatrix, thick-bodied monkeys or gwerets. The superfamily of the lower narrow-nosed monkeys, together with the superfamily of anthropoid primates, constitute one group of narrow-nosed monkeys, or Old World monkeys. Apes include the gibbon, orangutan, chimpanzee, gorilla and human. Related species of baboons: chacma. or the bear baboon, yellow baboon, or baboon, anubis and sphinx, or Guinea baboon. All types have several inlets.

Today, baboons are common in Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula, but during the Ice Age they also lived in India and China. Baboons are inhabitants of the steppes and savannas of Africa; Moreover, they are also found in savanna forests and mountainous areas.

The elongated snout, large cheek pouches and long nose of baboons gave rise to the nickname "dog-headed monkeys". The strong teeth of these animals allow them to cope with a wide variety of foods.

Dimensions

Baboons are omnivores, and their diet contains both plant (fruits, bulbs, etc.) and animal (insects, small vertebrates) food. They can be good hunters: large males can even catch a gazelle. 32 fully formed teeth and powerful long fangs allow it to cope with a wide variety of foods.

Baboons lead a terrestrial lifestyle, climbing trees only when sleeping or in case of danger. Baboons are well adapted to life on land: unlike tree monkeys and other terrestrial primates such as chimpanzees and gorillas, their forelimbs and hindlimbs are almost the same length. The broad, massive feet and hands have well-developed thumbs. Most monkeys walk on their hind limbs, while baboons often walk on all four. When walking, they either rest on flat soles or raise their wrists and ankles, which makes walking much easier and faster. Baboons' tails are not designed for grasping, so they do not cling to branches when climbing trees.

Night on the tree

Baboons are not usually afraid of people. In national parks, animals happily accept food from the hands of tourists; the most impatient gourmands sometimes steal food.

Night is the hunting time for many large predators, so baboons sleep in the upper branches of the tallest trees. Because they are able to sit and even sleep on very thin branches, an entire group can occupy just a few trees. Baboons always climb up before sunset and stay there until dawn. It is believed that the animals sleep in turns, providing protection to the entire flock. The exception is the hamadryas living in mountainous areas, which sleep on rock ledges.

Life next to a person

The main enemy of baboons is the leopard, which is exterminated by poachers because of its valuable fur; in such areas, the number of baboons increases sharply as a result of a disruption in the natural balance that regulates the number of species in nature.

Baboons are social animals, living in flocks of 40-60 individuals. Relationships between group members are based on a hierarchical chain of command. The dominant position is occupied by strong adult males (leaders). By uniting, flocks can roam in large groups of 200-300 individuals. Baboons feel safe only within a pack, so not a single animal dares to live on its own. Within a community, separate groups can form based on different social relationships and certain personal characteristics.

Habitat

In the ranks of the baboon community, order is always maintained during movement. Subordinate strong males and sometimes juveniles lead the column; they are followed by young animals and older females. In the center are the females with their cubs, as well as most of the leaders. The back rows are lined up like a vanguard, which allows for constant protection for females and cubs. No matter where the predator approaches, it will be met by an adult male. If the enemy manages to get close enough, the males will be between him and the fleeing females with their cubs, trying to protect their fellow tribesmen.

Grooming not only keeps the coat clean, but also promotes social interaction between members of the baboon troop. Females clean the new mother and her baby especially carefully.

Baboons are not afraid of most animals. The only exceptions are lions and leopards, at the sight of which primates quickly climb trees. Usually, baboons only at the last moment get out of the way of such large animals as elephants and rhinoceroses, knowing that they are not in danger.

Peaceful coexistence

When threatened, the baboon (like the gelada in this photo) bares its teeth. When the mouth is closed, the upper fangs fit into the gaps between the lower teeth.

Likewise, an alarm call from an antelope causes baboons to flee. This interaction is especially useful near a body of water, where dense vegetation significantly reduces horizons.

When resting or eating, a herd of baboons is divided into small groups, usually consisting of two females and cubs of different ages, or an adult male with one or more females and cubs, who constantly clean his fur. Small groups can survive during migrations. Unlike other animals, in which the leader constantly leads and protects the flock, baboons themselves stay close to the leader.

Baboons have a very strict hierarchy. The leaders enjoy a privileged position: they are most often cleaned, they are offered food first, etc. When the leader approaches the subordinate male, the latter moves aside. Leaders usually stick together, so they can always come to each other's aid if other members of the group try to break out of submission. As a result, even a large and strong male will not be able to cope with a weaker leader.

Hamadryas, or "sacred baboons", are often classified as a separate subgenus. They live in small groups (1 adult male, 1 to 9 females and young) in open mountainous areas.

Social grooming

A young mother grooms her baby from birth. Females clean the cubs of other females, juveniles, adult males and females. Adult females and young baboons gather to groom a new mother and her baby. With the help of grooming, the cubs begin to distinguish between their fellow tribesmen and their social status.

Grooming not only preserves the integrity of the flock, but also helps maintain the cleanliness and health of its members. Thus, ticks, which are very common in the tropics, rarely infect baboons.

Three yellow baboons quench their thirst in a stream. At the end of the dry season, several flocks of baboons are usually found near non-dry bodies of water.

The only cub

The games of cubs prepare them for adult life. Young baboons often climb trees and chase each other, grabbing each other and rolling on the ground. Adults closely monitor them, not allowing the fun to become too aggressive. If one of the cubs screams in pain, the adult baboon will immediately stop such play.

• Did you know?
• Studying the life of baboons allows scientists to learn more about the development of human society. Steppe baboons live in the same areas where our ancestors lived. Baboon groups are very similar to communities of primitive people.
• Baboons that constantly live near humans can pose a certain danger. In national parks, animals are accustomed to being fed by tourists. National park guards in Uganda even had to kill one baboon, which began to sneak up on fishermen and steal food, causing serious injuries to people. There are also cases where baboons pulled a child out of a stroller and killed it, bit two women to death, and also seriously injured children.
• Hamadryas, which some zoologists consider to be a separate subgenus, are unlike other baboons. They do not form large communities, but live in groups consisting of one adult male, 1 to 9 females and cubs. Hamadryas sleep on rock ledges, and in the evening several groups of up to 750 individuals can gather on the rock. During the day, the flock breaks up and meets again only in the evening.
• Female baboons were often used to herd goats. One farmer taught a young female to watch her goats and bring them back from the pasture in the evening. At the same time, the baboons knew and performed their duties well.

Chacma or bear baboon (lat. Papio ursinus) is considered one of the largest and most dangerous baboons. The body length of this primate from the monkey family often reaches 115 cm with a weight of about 31 kg. Unlike other types of baboons, it does not have a mane; its strong and muscular body is covered with gray or brown hair. The elongated dark red muzzle is slightly reminiscent of a dog's. There are whitish rings around the deep-set eyes.

Bear baboons live in the southern part of the African continent. Here their range includes countries such as Angola, Mozambique, Zambia and South Africa. At the same time, the size of primates and the color of their coat are different in different regions. So, for example, the smallest chacmas live in the Kalahari Desert.

The character of these monkeys is so absurd that local residents recommend staying away from them. And not in vain, because bear baboons easily deal with hunting dogs and are even capable of organizing organized attacks. Local shepherds have more than once been powerless witnesses of how baboons left their dogs with their noses and stole newborn lambs from the herd.

Their natural enemy - - knows perfectly well that you can only hunt cubs, and even then, with great caution, otherwise he can get a serious hit in his mustachioed face. In case of danger, the strongest males from the pack quickly hide the females with their cubs inside the circle, and with particular ferocity they bare their sharp fangs, ready at any moment to tear the offender into pieces.

Looking at the long and scary teeth of bear baboons, it’s easy to guess that they feed not only on fruits and roots. In addition to plant foods, their diet includes insects, small vertebrates, bird eggs and the birds themselves. They sometimes kill leopard kittens or antelope calves, and those of them that live off the Cape of Good Hope have diversified their menu with shark eggs and bivalves.

Bear baboons live in large mixed groups of 30-40 individuals with one male at the head. During the day they roam the ground in search of food, but remain alert all the time, ready to climb a tree at any moment. At dusk, they go to spend the night in caves, climb steep cliffs or huge trees, in general, they hide where predators cannot reach them.

Bear baboons have an interesting social structure. The pack is led by the strongest male, who controls the weaker ones through intimidation. He often attacks young males and beats them to remind them who is in charge. But when meeting another flock of aggressive baboons, it is he who will have to fight with the leader of the group in order to protect his charges. And very often such fights end in the death of the loser.

There is also a certain hierarchy among females. The lucky girl who enjoys the leader’s increased attention is considered the most important. Moreover, her children also enjoy special honor among the members of the pack.

Of course, any of the “ladies” dreams of occupying such an enviable “position in society.” However, females allow the dominant male to approach them only during ovulation, but at other times they willingly have affairs with other males. Their pregnancy lasts about 6 months and ends with the birth of one baby. The mother carefully takes care of him and does not allow anyone to get close to her treasure. Even when he grows up and gets stronger, only her closest friends will be able to play with him.

Niramin - Feb 12th, 2016

In the family of monkeys of the order of primates, an absolutely amazing species stands out - the bear baboon (lat. Papio ursinus), or, in other words, chacma. This mammal has gained fame as the most dangerous of the baboons. Its impressive size (height up to 115 centimeters, weight up to 30 kilograms!), strong body covered with thick hair, large fangs, a huge dog-like head with a dog-like elongated muzzle and eyes recessed into the skull frighten even such formidable predators as leopards.

Chacmas are animals that live in large groups. They prefer to stay in wooded areas: natural caution forces baboons to stay away from open areas. Although few predators would dare to attack a group of these omnivores, which usually numbers up to fifty animals. Two or three individuals always act as sentinels: as soon as any danger arises, the watch makes noise, warning their relatives with warning cries about the threat. While defending themselves, a flock of baboons can attack both wild predators and hunting dogs.

To protect themselves as much as possible, bear baboons spend the night on the branches of tall trees or in the depths of rocks. Communication between individuals is a complex system of gestures, sounds, postures, and grimaces.

What do chacmas eat? To briefly describe their diet, they are omnivores. Fruits, greens, and insects coexist in their menu with shellfish, fish, and antelopes. To satisfy their hunger, bear baboons can even raid a flock of sheep to feast on the young meat of newborn lambs.

During the breeding season, chacma males may engage in sparring matches for a mate. The leader always has the advantage in choosing the most attractive female. If attachment arises between individuals, then the matter is not limited to mating: the male takes care of his chosen one before giving birth, and six months later, when the baby is born, he often takes an active part in his upbringing. The mother will breastfeed the baby for almost a year. At the age of about five years, on the eve of puberty, male children leave the pack, while young females, on the contrary, stay close to their mother all their lives, which is about 30 years. There are known cases of longevity of chacmas: in captivity they can live 45 years.

The habitat of bear baboons is very wide: this is the southern part of Africa - from Angola and Mozambique to Zambia and South Africa.

See beautiful photos of bear baboons:

Photo: Chakma with a calf.

Video: Baboons Fighting. Kruger, South Africa.

Video: Monkey Playing In The Mud

Video: Chacma baboons (Papio ursinus)

Video: Chacma Country Part 1

Video: Chacma Country Part 2

This monkey has a distinctive feature - its face is very similar to a dog's. All representatives of the genus have one habitat - the southern part of Africa, beyond the Sahara Desert.

The hamadryas, which is a type of baboon, is also found in the Arabian Peninsula. It is believed that they were brought there by people in ancient times. According to experts, baboons include two more species of monkeys that live in southern and central Africa. But they have not yet come to a consensus on this issue, since people still know very little about these monkeys, their behavioral, genetic, morphological diversity.

Appearance of a baboon

Baboons have long muzzles similar to those of dogs, close-set eyes, strong jaws with pointed fangs. Their body, with the exception of the muzzle, is covered with thick fur.

They have short tails. These monkeys have ischial calluses on their buttocks. In all species, the females are very clearly different from the males. Their faces have different shapes, their fur can be colored in different colors, and they have different body sizes. Males are almost 2 times larger than females. The male has a large white mane on his head. Also, representatives of the stronger sex are endowed with stronger fangs. The tail of baboons is curved, and from the base it is directed upward by about a third, and then downwards.

All species of these monkeys differ in size. The following types of baboons are distinguished: Guinea baboon, bear baboon, baboon, anubis and hamadryas. The largest is the bear baboon; their body length can reach 120 cm. These primates weigh about 40 kg. Other types are smaller in size. The smallest is the Guinea baboon, which grows to 50 cm in length and weighs about 14 kg. The color of the coat also depends on the species. Color can range from brown to silver. The muzzle is not covered with fur, there is bare skin that can be either pink or black. There is no hair on the buttocks of these monkeys. When mating season arrives, the buttocks of females turn red and swell.

Listen to the voice of the baboon monkey

Baboon behavior and nutrition

Baboons live both in forested areas and in semi-deserts and savannas, where they can be attacked by predators. To protect themselves, they unite in large groups. Baboons spend almost all their time on the ground, but they are also excellent tree climbers. They move on 4 limbs. They settle down to sleep on rocks or trees. When looking for food, they can walk several tens of kilometers. Typically, a group of baboons consists of approximately 50 individuals.

The task of young representatives of the stronger sex is to protect the flock from attacks by predators. The group is protected by a small group of young males, and such protection gives a strong and good result. These primates are very brave; in case of danger, they attack the enemy. Baboons are omnivores, but their diet mainly consists of plant foods. They eat shellfish, birds, insects, fish, and small antelopes. In search of food, they can sneak into human possessions. In southern Africa, they can steal livestock, namely sheep or goats.

Reproduction and lifespan

During the mating season, the monkey's behavior is dictated by the social structure of the group in which it lives. If the flock is mixed, then the male can mate with any female. The social status of this male is important. Sometimes fights over females may occur. There may be other relationships between the female and the male, and friendship may arise between them. In this case, the male participates in caring for the cubs, delivers birth to the female, and obtains food.

The duration of pregnancy is 6 months. One calf is born, weighing about 400 grams. The female feeds him with milk for 1 year. These primates become sexually mature when they reach the age of 5-7 years. Males leave the pack even before they reach sexual maturity. Females live their entire lives in the pack from which their mother belongs. The lifespan of baboons in the wild is approximately 30 years. In captivity, these monkeys can live 45 years.

In the dead of night, we left the cozy tent in an African village and headed towards the rocky hills lost in the plain. At dawn it is fresh in the African savannah. We all leaned out of the open sunroof of the car to admire the dawn. The wind blew across our faces, burned by the merciless rays of the sun and bitten by midges. Thomson's gazelles overtook us and crossed the road in front of the car, as if inviting us to play catch-up. A family of lions, heavy with satiety, with their muzzles still stained with blood, solemnly walked towards the river. The disk of the sun separated from the horizon. Long-legged black and white birds with a crest on their heads flew screaming over our heads, clearly alarmed and dissatisfied with the invasion of strangers into their domain.

The hills, overgrown with acacias and thorny bushes, stood out against the fiery sky, like a huge desert armadillo, the centuries-old guardian of these places. But as we approached, I became convinced that the hills were not at all as dead as they seemed from a distance. The living soul of this granite citadel is a noisy but well-organized tribe of the most intelligent, strong and independent monkeys of the African savannah - baboons.

A large family of dog-headed monkeys, consisting of about a hundred animals, spent the night on steep rock ledges and on the branches of acacia trees so as not to become prey to their mortal enemy, the leopard. They wake up with the first rays of the sun, stretch, yawn and generally behave in exactly the same way as people do when waking up. Then they bask in the sun and look for fleas from each other with visible pleasure.

From a shelter between two rocks, we calmly watched the life of the tribe through binoculars. Our attention was attracted by several strong, large monkeys, to whom the thick collar of coarse hair, covering the back and shoulders and growing luxuriantly on the cheeks, gave a particularly impressive appearance. They walked importantly among their less representative fellow tribesmen, who respectfully made way for them. Two giants lounged lazily in the sun, from time to time looking condescendingly at the females, who were diligently looking for fleas from them. These are privileged male leaders.

Many other males were no less respectable, but they, apparently, stood at lower levels of society and represented the “middle class”. Every now and then they climbed to the very top of the monkey citadel and watched the horizon, apparently performing the functions of lookouts.

Females were significantly smaller than males and did not have fur collars. They were located in the center of the hill, close to the leader males. Some females were breastfeeding their cubs, others were chatting like gossips at a bazaar, each with affection watching her frolicking offspring.

Suddenly, as if on cue, the male leaders got up and set off. The mothers hastily grabbed the babies, and they, clinging to the fur, climbed onto the females’ backs and settled comfortably there. The watchmen abandoned their towers and quickly positioned themselves in the vanguard and on the flanks. Several males lingered and covered the rearguard in two rows. Then a troop of monkeys with amazing agility descended the granite scree and emerged into the open savannah. They moved without breaking formation, putting into their mouths everything edible that they encountered along the way: grass, leaves, insects, snails, bulbs, roots. A prosperous tribe of baboons began their new day in the savannah, where they are constantly threatened by lions, leopards or barter dogs, and in open areas where there are no trees, the monkeys' proverbial agility cannot help them.

How do many monkeys manage to live out their lives safely among fierce, strong and greedy predators?

Observing the baboons for twelve hours, until sunset, when the flock returned to their fortress, we were enriched with information that makes more understandable the notes of Irvine de Vore, who devoted many years to the study of these monkeys. We realized that it was the environment of predatory animals that instilled courage, perseverance and intelligence in the baboons; gave rise to the hierarchical structure of monkey society, where males fulfill the mission of protectors, guarding babies and sick animals. This attracts the attention of baboons to anthropologists who, by studying the behavior of monkeys, try to figure out the lifestyle of the first apes.

But let’s take a break from baboons and remember in general terms the characteristic features of a group of animals that, of course, should interest us, since we ourselves belong to it. I mean primates and higher mammals.

When it comes to monkeys, an inexperienced person imagines a tropical forest, giant trees entwined with vines and creeping plants, where these dexterous creatures perform complex acrobatic tricks to get tasty fruits from tree branches or to escape from their enemies. Indeed, with the exception of a few genera of monkeys - baboons, macaques and others that live on the ground, most primates live in trees.

This is what determined their specific characteristics, physical and mental. Four long, mobile, free fingers and a fifth, large, set-aside, form a tenacious hand, very convenient for climbing trees. The pads on the palms, thin tactile centers concentrated in the fingertips, and flat nails make them unsurpassed climbers.

In primitive mammals, the eyes are located on the sides of the skull. This arrangement of visual centers allows you to view the space from both sides without turning your head, which is very convenient for observing enemies, but eliminates stereoscopic vision. It is possible to distinguish all the features of the relief, the shape of objects, and calculate distances only if the eyes are in the same plane: this is how the visual apparatus of primates is structured.

Tree monkeys, who had to calculate their jump so as not to fall from a great height, needed such vision.

The sense of smell is the most valuable and necessary sense for animals living on earth, especially for nocturnal ones, in which vision plays a secondary role. For monkeys living in trees, where smells coming from the ground are lost and mixed with other aromas, the sense of smell loses its importance. This is obviously why the monkeys' olfactory abilities are gradually weakening. For animals that spend most of their lives in trees, vocal cords are very important; they communicate with each other through sounds in dense foliage. Therefore, monkeys have the finest hearing and are “talkative.”

Today, at the end of sixty million years of evolution, all representatives of the order of primates, from the mysterious aye-aye, who beats shots on trees with long, drumstick-like fingers, to man, the conqueror of space, are characterized by dexterity and mobility of hands, a tendency to vertical body position, subtlety of hearing and touch, sharp and stereoscopic vision, a large, well-developed brain.

The class of primates includes primitive prosimians, American monkeys and Old World monkeys. The branch of anthropoids separates from the latter. Each group has its own characteristics. Prosimians, or lemurs, currently concentrated on the island of Madagascar, are, as it were, living evidence of past stages of development. They have many characteristics typical of ancient varieties of these animals.

American monkeys have a long, strong, prehensile tail, a real fifth limb, free of hair at the end and equipped with the most sensitive epithelial cells, which allows, for example, the spider monkey to easily collect groundnuts with its tail and calmly hang on it on a tree branch.

In Old World monkeys, red calluses on the seat are striking. These pads of hardened, insensitive skin adhere directly to the bones and allow the animal to spend nights sitting on a sharp rock or tree branch without feeling pain. In addition, the pads protect against circulatory problems.

Apes are distinguished by extraordinary mobility of the shoulder, elbow and wrist. This allows them, hanging on one branch, to freely throw their body to another. This method of movement contributed to an increase in the growth of anthropoids, which reached the size of a gorilla or orangutan, moving only on the ground. The fastest movement through trees is found in chimpanzees and gibbons, one of which lives in Africa, the other in Asia.

Meanwhile, a herd of our baboons reached the bank of a small river, intending to drink. Before approaching the water, they rose on their hind limbs, carefully examined the surroundings and, apparently, strained their ears. The baboon's lack of sense of smell is compensated by its extraordinary intelligence. Often in such situations, baboons wait patiently for zebras, known for their keen sense of smell, to come to the watering hole. If there are lions nearby, then the zebras, having described several circles around the pond, leave without quenching their thirst.

Mutation, natural selection, biological environment, and feeding habits made baboons completely different from their blood brothers - thin-bodied monkeys, or colobus monkeys, who never leave the treetops. Monkeys living in forests escape from their enemies by climbing to the very top of trees and deftly jumping from tree to tree. From this lifestyle, their limbs became longer, their bodies became lean and light. The same monkeys, who spend a significant part of their lives on earth, have to defend themselves from their enemies. Hence the powerful muscles of baboons. They have a wide, stocky body and very strong shoulders. The special structure of the jaws gives the baboon's head a resemblance to a dog's. Thanks to the large, menacing fangs of the males, the organization and aggressiveness of the pack, this species of monkey tribe feels quite confident on earth. The baboon's teeth are longer than those of a leopard or hyena dog.

When a herd of baboons is on the move, females and cubs take a place in the middle of the troop. They are guarded by male leaders. In the vanguard and rearguard are sentinel males, younger and more agile than the leaders, but less strong and hardy.

Young males cope with a harmless opponent, such as a jackal or a hyena. All they have to do is ruffle their fur and show their fangs for the predator to get out of the way. But as soon as the leopard appears, the young males walking ahead begin to emit furious cries, something like a short, piercing bark, which acts on the leader males like a calling cry. Without delay or hesitation, the leader baboons rush at the enemy. If a predator has captured prey - a baby or a female, but does not have time to hide with it among the tree branches, large males rush at it and instantly tear it to pieces, although this often costs the lives of two or three monkeys. Females with their offspring retreat to a safe place during the battle, guarded by several males.

Baboons do not dare to engage in battle with only two enemies - a lion and a man. With the first - because he does not hunt alone, and with the second - because of his firearms. But when lions or humans are pursuing a flock, the leader baboons always cover the retreat of the females and worry about their salvation only when the females and cubs are safe.

Forest monkeys, including gorillas and orangutans, have a peaceful and even timid nature. But among baboons and macaques, their terrestrial lifestyle, full of dangers, developed courage and belligerence. But these qualities would lose their value if they were not combined with the iron discipline and clear hierarchical structure of ape society. Otherwise, fights over females and territory would lead the baboons to self-destruction.

The organization of the life of the flock indicates a high degree of development of baboons. They obey not one leader, but an aristocratic elite, into which any male with the appropriate physical and mental characteristics can join.

Among females, the hierarchy is not so strict. Motherhood ensures their transition into the privileged class. When a young female, standing at any level of the social ladder, approaches puberty, she, with the full goodwill of the old aristocratic males, can play love games with young males of lower rank. But during the period most favorable for conception, the male leader connects with her and protects her until the birth of the cub. Thus, more highly organized and stronger males impregnate the healthiest females and thereby contribute to natural selection.

From the moment the cub is born until it becomes independent (this period usually lasts two years), the mother occupies a privileged position in the pack under the protection of male leaders and is surrounded by the care of other females. The cubs in the pack are treated with extraordinary tenderness and care. Young females play with the babies at every opportunity, male leaders, forgetting about their importance, tumble with them in the sand, and show no less caution and affection than their own mother. Newborn monkeys are completely helpless creatures, and the entire flock spares no effort to take part in their upbringing. It's no secret that we humans do exactly the same thing.

It is much more difficult for a male to get into the privileged elite. To do this, he needs years of struggle. Battles for power between males are not cruel or bloody. Usually such fights are limited to a tournament of threats. Opponents exchange angry glances, bare their fangs threateningly, ruffle their fur, and strike the ground with their Limbs. Threats are accompanied by high-pitched screams, sniffles and growls. If all these actions do not achieve their goal and battle turns out to be inevitable, then the vanquished always has a sure way to calm the winner and save his life. It is enough for him to turn his back to the enemy, as females do during estrus. Then the winner simulates copulation, and then proudly returns to the center of the group of fans. In the following days, the male, who has won, repeatedly approaches the former contender for power and looks at him threateningly. The defeated man humbly offers his ass to the formidable rival, and he calms down.

The male leaders treat each other with respect and jointly carry out reprisals against young rebels. The leaders are responsible for maintaining order in the pack. If a juvenile treats a female or a cub roughly, retribution from the male keeping order is not long in coming: he immediately rushes to the offender and bites him in the neck.

Members of the elite are highly respected within the pack. The young male rarely dares to enter the sacred territory occupied by the leading males, and obligingly gives way to the leader when he heads in his direction. Approaching an old male at a distance of three meters is already considered an unforgivable liberty. From the vicious circle of their proud loneliness, male aristocrats look arrogantly at their subordinates, and woe to those who dare not lower their gaze in front of them. The male leader enjoys unlimited privileges, occupies the most comfortable place in the pack, eats what he wants and where he wants, chooses any female and demands complete submission from his fellow tribesmen. But when a strong enemy threatens - a lion or leopard, the leader enters into mortal combat with him, while the rest of the pack watches the battle sitting in the trees.

A group of baboons, which we followed at some distance, spent the morning searching for food. Neither a lizard, nor a grasshopper, nor the smallest rodent, nor bird eggs escaped their watchful eyes. On occasion, they kill hares and baby gazelles and feast on their meat.

At noon, the flock settled down near the rocks in the shade of acacias. This is an hour of afternoon rest. The leaders and female mothers slept, having taken possession of the most convenient places, the younger generation frolicked, and the sentinel males stood guard. Finally, sleep overcame everyone.

We ourselves could hardly resist it, sitting on the roof of the all-terrain vehicle and sweltering from the heat. “Scavengers” hung motionless in the sky, and flies buzzed annoyingly. During these hours, life in the savannah comes to a standstill; animals seek refuge from the scorching rays of the sun under the shade of bushes and rocks, in deep caves. Only the fat, marmot-like hyraxes move among the rocks, never stopping for a minute to fill their stomachs with leaves and nutritious roots. We thought about the relationship that connects these small strange animals with giant elephants. I tried to see through binoculars their flat, proboscis-like claws, which gave zoological scientists a reason to draw a parallel between hyraxes and elephants.

Hyraxes move among the rocks with amazing dexterity, unexpected for their heavy build. Special pads on their paws, like spongy rubber, stick to the rocks. They can go without water for weeks: their kidneys have the ability to produce viscous, thick urine and therefore excrete very little fluid from the body. Perhaps it is this ability that allows them to neglect the midday rest and calmly walk on the hot granite in the thick of it.

I was distracted from my thoughts by the panicked flight of the hyraxes into their holes. Huddled in the crevices of the rocks, they whistled shrilly. The baboons started screaming. A strange, ever-increasing buzzing made us turn our heads. We saw a buffoon eagle emerging from a dive, rising, touching the granite rocks with its wide wings. He never managed to grab his prey: the hyrax slipped into the crevice. Buffoon eagles have a distinctive silhouette. The short tail allows them to see their legs extended back with curved claws when flying. When choosing a victim, the buffoon hovers at such a height that it is not visible from the ground. It attacks from the direction of the sun and rushes towards its prey with its wings pressed to its body. The attack of the buffoon eagle is always unexpected, since it is completely impossible to notice it in the dazzling rays of the sun, especially since the lower part of the bird’s body is covered with white feathers, with the exception of a dark stripe bordering the wings. With this coloring, its silhouette completely dissolves in the stream of light.

However, hyraxes, which suffer more than other animals from the aggressiveness of the buffoon eagle, are armed with some means of defense against their enemy. According to zoologist Leslie Brown, the hyrax is the only animal that can calmly look at the sun. It was this property that served as the source of the legend about the blindness of hyraxes.

Meanwhile, evening twilight had come, and the baboons began to prepare for the return journey. At this time, the flock eats for the second time. Following the monkey tribe, we traveled about ten kilometers, without leaving the small territory of twenty-five square kilometers, which the baboons had chosen for their residence.

The attachment of these creatures to their native places is worthy of surprise. Day after day they set off on the road at dawn, without changing their usual route and stopping at the same places to quench their thirst and hunger. They meet with neighboring flocks only at the borders of their territory and in no-man's lands, where different flocks gather to drink and rest. Oddly enough, monkeys, warlike and restless creatures, pretend not to notice representatives of other packs. The leaders behave as if foreign rivals do not exist. Attempts by researchers to force the baboons to move beyond their territory were unsuccessful. When approaching the fatal line, the animal showed anxiety, and then turned back, and no bait could force it to violate the border.

Thanks to such strict adherence to sovereignty, there are no clashes between monkeys, despite their aggressive nature. Unfortunately, man did not inherit from the monkey the enviable ability to maintain peace.

The rocky citadel of the baboons was golden in the last rays of the sun. The sentinel males arrived first and began examining the bushes and crevices where the leopard could be hiding. The rest of the flock gathered on the inner platform. The kids frolicked and squealed happily, and the male leaders looked up warily, as if waiting for a signal. When the sentinel males returned from reconnaissance, the flock began to move and began to climb the upper tiers of the citadel. As night fell, each member of the flock chose a branch on a tree or a ledge of rock, out of reach of the leopard, where they could safely spend the night.

The night inspires inexplicable fear in all primates. Who among us has not dreamed that he is falling into a terrible, dark abyss? More than one human ancestor lost his life by falling from a tree or rock ledge in his sleep. Perhaps this is where our instinctive fear of the emptiness that opens before us in a dream comes from.

Twilight gave way to darkness, silence descended on the rock. At this hour, a leopard, silent as a shadow, makes its night rounds. He carefully and carefully examines every rock, every tree, every bush, and woe to that baboon who neglected precautions and did not take care of a reliable shelter for the night. According to statistics, the leopard's main prey during night hunting is baboons. In those areas of Africa where hunting for leopards is not limited, baboons have multiplied so much that they have become a real disaster for plantations. The African leopard is the best regulator of baboons.

After the baboons, the object of our observations were green monkeys, among which we spent the whole day in Tsavo. We not only photographed them up close and stroked their green fur, but also shared sandwiches with them, rested together in the afternoon under the shade of acacia trees, rode in the same car and admired with emotion the children’s cheerful games. Among African animals there is no creature more sweet, willful and cheerful than a baby monkey frolicking in freedom.

In Asia and Africa, there are three multi-species groups of monkeys - colobus monkeys, long-tailed monkeys and dog-headed monkeys - which unite sixteen genera, including more than two hundred species ( In the family of apes, which includes all the animals listed by the author, there are 15 genera, which include 58 species of colobus monkeys, true marmosets, macaques, baboons and other monkeys). African long-tailed monkeys are the easiest species to observe due to their trusting, cheerful disposition. Some groups of vervet monkeys, which belong to the genus Vervet monkeys, have become completely comfortable with the presence of photographers and naturalists among them. One such group lives in the Tsavo River valley - one of the most beautiful places in the reserve. For four days they were our inseparable companions, and we made the most interesting observations of the females and cubs that were born shortly before our arrival.

In all primates, including humans, twins, triplets, and so on are born very rarely. Monkeys usually give birth to one baby. This is a consequence of life in trees. As soon as he sees the light, the baby, clinging closely to his mother, begins to travel with her from branch to branch. The mother vigilantly watches the cub, vigilantly making sure that he does not break loose. The presence of two or three cubs would inevitably weaken her attention.

A newborn monkey has very strong and tenacious limbs, with which it firmly holds on to the fur on its mother’s sides and belly. The cub hangs on the chest of the mother, who freely jumps with this light load through the trees. The baby can suck milk from the mother’s breast at any time, clasping her sides with his paws. Females treat their offspring with extraordinary tenderness. No amount of treats could make them let go of the babies. Green monkeys, like baboons, show amazing care for their young.

A newborn baboon has a pink muzzle, not overgrown with hair, and its body is covered with black hair. At four months, the little baboon's face begins to darken, and the fur on its body becomes brown. During this period, mothers are no longer so attentive to their babies, but males, young and old, double their attention to them and take part in their fun with pleasure. At ten months, the baboon acquires the usual coloration for adult monkeys and spends time not next to its mother, but in the company of its peers, imitating adult monkeys in everything in their games.

The baboon goes through three phases of development. The first is complete dependence on the mother, the second is children's games, the third is training. To prove how important the role of the first two phases is, a professor from Wisconsin, Harry Harlow, conducted several experiments that are now widely known among primatologists.

Harlow placed several baby rhesus monkeys with "artificial mothers" - dolls with nipples. Half of the mannequins had their torsos covered with fabric similar to macaque fur. For the rest, the metal structure was not covered with anything. All the babies chose dolls with fur, although not all of the "dressed mothers" had nipples connected to milk reservoirs. For the cubs, contact with the mother was more important than milk. Professor Harlow has proven in a number of experiments that, away from their “artificial mothers,” small macaques are afraid of a teddy bear beating a drum. However, if the mother doll is nearby and the baby can touch it in a moment of danger, he quickly calms down and begins to play with the toy that just inspired fear in him.

Harlow kept another batch of macaques in individual cages, isolated from each other. After some time, they were allowed into cages with other monkeys. The little hermits did not participate in general games, were afraid of their own kind, and upon reaching puberty, they turned out to be incapable of copulation. In the third group, some of the baby macaques, deprived of the opportunity to play with their peers, lived in cages with “artificial mothers”, some could observe what was happening in the common cage, and some were completely isolated. As a result, everyone ended up with defects, especially in the last group, where there was a higher percentage of nervous and mental abnormalities. But the monkeys, who were united with their comrades for twenty minutes a day, adapted perfectly among normal macaques.

Professor Harlow's experiments proved that the games of monkeys in freedom are not just a tribute to frisky age, but exercises that prepare the animal physically and mentally for life among its own kind. Psychologists who observed people in similar situations came to similar conclusions. Children's games, the emergence of family ties, family and friendships can be attributed to the initial stage of the evolution of human thought.