Shoulder Height: 80 cm, Mass: 30 kg, female 18 kg, Gestation: 6-7 months, single young

These large, powerfully built primates have a prominent, dog-like muzzle, and a strong jaw withcanines which exceed those of a lion in length. They are terrestrial, gregarious animals and are founding small and large troops. They passess considerable intelligence and have acute eyesight and hearing. Theirfrequent several sleeping sites, occupying a large tree or ledges on mountain slopes. Noisy at dawn and dusk, they issue loud, deep barks with a range of conversational utterings, shrieks and screams. Baboons have a well-developed social structure and when danger threatens, the dominant males adopt a hostile stance to protect the agile and swift troop, which rapidly disperses. The flanking members stand up in the grass or jump on to anthills or tree trunks to keep the threat in view. On occasions, when I have been on foot and disturbed baboons for himself. They are fearful of leopard and will jump considerable distances in an effort to escape, all the while uttering the wildest cries.

Baboons have no set pattern and their dung is found over a wide area as they move and feed. The ground under roosting spots is usually scattered with dung.

Spoor: Note the largeness of the hind foot. The farefoot clearly shows the knuckles.

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