Hamadryas Baboon
Overview
The Hamadryas baboon is a species of baboon
from the Old World monkey
family. It is the northernmost of all the baboons; being native to the Horn of Africa
and the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula
. These regions provide habitats with the advantage for this species of fewer natural predators than central or southern Africa where other baboons reside. The Hamadryas baboon was a sacred animal to the ancient Egypt
ians and appears in various roles in ancient Egyptian religion, hence its alternative name of 'sacred baboon'.
Apart from the striking size difference between the sexes (males are often twice as large as females) which is common to all baboons, this species also shows sexual dimorphism
in coloration.
Baboon
Baboons are African and Arabian Old World monkeys belonging to the genus Papio, part of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. There are five species, which are some of the largest non-hominoid members of the primate order; only the mandrill and the drill are larger...
from the Old World monkey
Old World monkey
The Old World monkeys or Cercopithecidae are a group of primates, falling in the superfamily Cercopithecoidea in the clade Catarrhini. The Old World monkeys are native to Africa and Asia today, inhabiting a range of environments from tropical rain forest to savanna, shrubland and mountainous...
family. It is the northernmost of all the baboons; being native to the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
and the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
. These regions provide habitats with the advantage for this species of fewer natural predators than central or southern Africa where other baboons reside. The Hamadryas baboon was a sacred animal to the ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ians and appears in various roles in ancient Egyptian religion, hence its alternative name of 'sacred baboon'.
Apart from the striking size difference between the sexes (males are often twice as large as females) which is common to all baboons, this species also shows sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
in coloration.
