animal fact wednesday, by m

as our show winds down... i may in fact be hard pressed to find interesting things to talk about as i will be watching really horrible movies like the scorpian king and playing scrabble. but then maybe i can talk about things i see in movies like red ants and scorpians, or of course talk about what friends do... like pose with cheetahs. and then better yet, the baboon attack that they failed to catch on tape! i warned them didn't i? i said, bring your camera, record it, we'll pay you. it'll be great. you'll get to be on our show... but no, the baboon attacked matt before he could hit record and he punched it in the face and derek threw a rock but they didn't catch that on tape either as the baboon progressed undaunted, and sarah twisted her ankle in the commotion also not caught on tape and all that's left is a benign still of a baboon with the spoils of war.



so baboons, vicious nasty creatures that they are, and most likely worse than swans, are the facts: some of them from some website:

• A sheltered sleeping site, often on a cliff face, may be shared by as many as 800 individuals from several troops.
• In baboon society, staring and showing of teeth are considered a threat.
• The Hamadryas Baboon was the sacred baboon of the ancient Egyptians, often pictured on temples and monoliths as the attendant or representative of Thoth, the god of letters and scribe of the gods.
• Baboons were mummified, entombed and associated with sun-worship. This is the only non-human primate found in Arabia. Also known as the sacred or "mantled" or Arabian baboon.
• These animals are very social and are stressed by isolation.
• A direct stare is a threat. To threaten in return, they will raise their eyebrows, showing their white eyelid and partially open their mouth, displaying formidable canines. Intensifying the threat, they may yawn, raise their hair, slap hands and feet on the ground, grind their teeth and scream. Fear is shown by a "grin" with no eyelid threat. They have a number of calls; alarm is given by a dog like bark.
• Baboons are a lot like humans when it comes to male baldness. Some go bald, some do not.
• Males are dominant over females. The winner gains dominance and access to food, water and a mate.
• Males will often join forces to defeat a third more dominant male. Infant baboons inherit their mothers status. This means infants of a superior female can take food from a low ranking adult.
• Baboons walk on the palms of their hands whilst chimpanzees walk on their knuckles.
• If baboons and chimpanzees meet in the wild they will play together.
• The baboons dog-like body, muzzle and tail gives them the name 'monkey dog.' Baboons can walk up to 5 km a day.
• Presenting their rear is a sign of submission.

Copy from NatGeo:
There are five different species of baboons. All of them live in Africa or Arabia. Baboons are some of the world's largest monkeys, and males of different species average from 33 to 82 pounds (15 to 37 kilograms). Baboon bodies are 20 to 40 inches (60 to 102 centimeters) long, not including substantial tails of varying lengths.Baboons generally prefer savanna and other semi-arid habitats, though a few live in tropical forests.Like other Old World monkeys, baboons do not have prehensile (gripping) tails. But they can and do climb trees to sleep, eat, or look out for trouble. They spend much of their time on the ground.Baboons are opportunistic eaters and, fond of crops, become destructive pests to many African farmers. They eat fruits, grasses, seeds, bark, and roots, but also have a taste for meat. They eat birds, rodents, and even the young of larger mammals, such as antelopes and sheep.Four baboon species (i.e., chacma, olive, yellow, and Guinea) are known as the savanna baboons. These animals form large troops, composed of dozens or even hundreds of baboons, governed by a complex hierarchy that fascinates scientists. Males use shows of physical power to dominate rivals, and troop members spend endless hours carefully grooming one another to remove insects and dead skin.A fifth species, the hamadryas baboon, lives in the hills along the Red Sea coasts of Africa and Arabia. These cliff-dwelling baboons disperse to forage during the day and reconvene in much smaller groups at night.