Olive baboon

Description

The olive baboon (Papio anubis), also called the Anubis baboon, is a member of the family Cercopithecidae Old World monkeys. The species is the most wide-ranging of all baboons,being native to 25 countries throughout Africa, extending from Mali eastward to Ethiopia and Tanzania. Isolated populations are also present in some mountainous regions of the Sahara.It inhabits savannahs, steppes, and forests.The common name is derived from its coat colour, which is a shade of green-grey at a distance. A variety of communications, vocal and non-vocal, facilitate a complex social structure. The olive baboon is named for its coat, which, at a distance, is a shade of green-grey. Its alternative name comes from the Egyptian god Anubis, who was often represented by a dog head resembling the dog-like muzzle of the baboon. At closer range, its coat is multicoloured, due to rings of yellow-brown and black on the hairs.The hair on the baboon's face is coarser and ranges from dark grey to black. This coloration is shared by both sexes, although males have a mane of longer hair that tapers down to ordinary length along the back. Like other baboons, the olive baboon has an elongated, dog-like muzzle.In fact, along with the muzzle, the animal's tail (38–58 cm or 15–23 in) and four-legged gait can make baboons seem very canine. The tail almost looks as if it is broken, as it is erect for the first quarter, after which it drops down sharply. The bare patch of a baboon's rump, famously seen in cartoons and movies, is a good deal smaller in the olive baboon.The olive baboon, like most cercopithecines, has a cheek pouch with which to store food The species inhabits a strip of 25 equatorial African countries, very nearly ranging from the east to west coasts of the continent. The exact boundaries of this strip are not clearly defined, as the species' territory overlaps with that of other baboon species. In many places, this has resulted in cross-breeding between species.For example, considerable hybridisation has occurred between the olive baboon and the hamadryas baboon in Ethiopia.Cross-breeding with the yellow baboon and the Guinea baboon has also been observed.Although this has been noted, the hybrids have not as yet been well studied.