Papio ursinus | DeWetsWild

Papio ursinus ursinus

The Chacma Baboon is the biggest wild primate occurring in South Africa. Males can weigh up to 50kg, while females are more lightly built and weigh up to 28kg.

Evil-looking juvenile Baboon

Pensive baboon

Baby baboon missing out on attention

Baboons abound along the Sabie

Baboon near Satara

Baboon smile

Young baboon

Chacma Baboon

Coy Baboon (photo by Joubert)

Baboons grooming

Sleepy Baboon

Baboon

Young Chacma Baboons

Baboons can be found in virtually any habitat, provided there is a reliable supply of drinking water and safe places to sleep at night (usually in the form of tall trees, cliffs or caves). They are equally easy to please when it comes to their diet, taking fruit, berries, grass, leaves, flowers, mushrooms, roots and tubers, insects, scorpions, snails, eggs, small birds, reptiles and mammals (including the lambs of antelope) and, along the coast, molluscs, crayfish, crabs, etc. Unfortunately they quickly learn that humans and their waste is an easy source of food, and in many reserves, towns and cities have become quite adept at raiding human habitations.

Bold baboons frequent the camp at Giant’s Castle

And then quickly grabbing a loaf of bread from an unguarded kitchen

Preparing for their early morning raid on the camp

Baboon

Baboon scratching for grass roots

Baboon acrobats

Baboons

Baboons are a common sight at Giant’s Castle

Thirsty Baboon

Surveying the landscape

Baboons taking a swim on a hot day

Baboon

Baboons at Umbondwe Picnic Spot

Chacma Baboon on a cliff-face

Baboons at Umbondwe Picnic Spot

Chacma Baboon

You stuck what in there!?

Baboons frequent the camp in the mornings

Chacma Baboons keep to large troops, some over 300 animals in size, in which a strict hierarchy is maintained, sometimes through violent fights. This dominance hierarchy determines where an individual will feature when it comes to access to food, water, sleeping spots and mating partners. They also forge alliances and friendships strengthened by mutual grooming. Lower ranking adult males take turns to act as sentinels on the look-out for danger. Chacma Baboons are diurnal and mainly terrestrial and troops can cover as much as 15km in a day while foraging. Because they have such keen senses Baboons are often accompanied by other herbivores.

Bold baboons frequent the camp at Giant’s Castle

Baboon

Time for some mutual grooming before the game begins

Playful baboons at Kumasinga

Roofing thatch apparently make wonderful toys for little baboons

The big males are the most confident

Baboon

Baboons

A huge troop of baboons

Baboon beauty treatment

Baboons often pass through camp looking for scraps and stealing from the accommodation units

Male Baboon taking a break

Fast asleep in the early morning sun

Male Baboon taking a break

Baboons have learnt that unlocked cars could be an easy source of food

Yawn!

Baboon escaping from a chalet at Thendele Camp

Chacma Baboon

Time for grooming

Wet Baboon after a rainstorm

Baboon surveying the landscape

Baboons having fun at Lengau Dam

Baboons relaxing in the shade

Baboons settling in for the night

Baboon

Baboons huddling together in the rays of early morning

Baboon

Young Baboon disliking the attention of human onlookers (photo by Joubert)

Young Baboon

Chacma Baboon

Baboons

Baboon troop

Baboons

Female Baboons give birth to single young (rarely twins) at any time of the year. Newborn babies hang from their mother’s tummy when she’s walking, while older babies ride on her back like a jockey. Youngsters remain dependant on their mother until they are at least a year old. Females remain in their maternal troop when they reach adulthood, while young males join other troops. All animals in the troop are extremely protective of babies, and when attacked by a predator the large males will usually launch a counter attack. Leopards are the main threat to adult baboons, but they are not easy prey by any means. Chacma Baboons have a life expectancy of up to 45 years in the wild.

Like father, like son. Baboon spectators at Kumasinga

Baby baboon getting a piggy-back ride

Baby Baboon getting a piggy-back ride

Baboon jockey

Shingwedzi jungle-gym

Baboon family life

Baboon mothers make excellent vantage points!

Young Baboons hang from their mother’s tummy

Older babies ride on mom’s back like jockeys

Young Chacma Baboon

Young Baboons love playing

Sibling bonding

Baboon youngsters at speed!

Baboon youngster

Levitating Chacma baboon youngster

Female Baboon in oestrus

Baboons

Chacma Baboons

Chacma Baboons (photo by Joubert)

Baboons on the roof of the reception office at Potberg

The IUCN regards the Chacma Baboon as being of least concern in conservation terms. Despite being persecuted as vermin in farming areas and suburbs, the Chacma Baboon remains common and widespread, and is one of the few large mammals still regularly encountered outside the formal conservation areas in South Africa. They can be found in virtually every nature reserve and national park in the country, but in our experience they are most easily viewed at the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, Garden Route National Park, Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, Kruger National Park, Pilanesberg National Park and uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park. Chacma Baboons also occur in Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho.

Baboon male

Young Chacma Baboon

Female baboon with baby

Baboon posing for a photo

Baboon on a wet thatch roof at Giant’s Castle

Young Chacma Baboon

Baboon youngster thinking of mischief

Grooming Chacma Baboons

Baboons are probably the most easily seen mammal in Giant’s Castle, as they move through the Rest Camp daily

A pair of mating baboons high in the mountains

Baboons are probably the most easily seen mammal in Giant’s Castle, as they move through the Rest Camp daily

Baboons use precarious beds

Baboon chasing a Black-backed Jackal

Baboon

Baby baboon

Baboon

Baboon sentry

Baboon

Young Baboon

Curious baby Baboon

Baboons

Baboon

Chacma Baboon

Baboons

Baboons in Mapungubwe National Park

Baboon feeding on water plants in Mapungubwe National Park

Baboons in Mapungubwe National Park

Baboons in Mapungubwe National Park (photo by Joubert)

Chacma Baboon

Male Baboon clinging to a log for his afternoon nap

Baboon spa treatment

Chacma Baboon

Baboons occurring in neighbouring countries north of the Limpopo belong to a different subspecies, P. u. griseipes, and have a slight yellowish tinge to their fur.