16 August 2017

Hamadryas Baboon Raydah Escarpment near Abha – Record by Munzir Khan

Munzir saw Hamadryas Baboon Papio hamadryas whilst birding the Raydah Escarpment near Abha. This is a very good place the see the species with large troops somwtimes present. This species is the northernmost of all the baboons and is distinguished from other baboons by the male’s long, silver-grey shoulder cape (mane and mantle), and the pink or red rather than black face and rump. The male is considerably larger than the female, often twice as large, and has a heavy silvery-grey coat, bushy cheeks, and large canine teeth. Males may have a body measurement of up to 80 cm and weigh 20–30 kg. They occur in north-eastern Africa, mainly in Ethiopia, but also eastern Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and northern Somalia as well as the Arabian Peninsula, in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. I thank Munzir for sending me his photo and for allowing me to use it on my website.
Hamadryas Baboon