Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 116, August 2014, pp. 1-23. | Page 19

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‫ولَقد علِمتم الَّذٌِن اعْ َتدَوا م ْنكم فًِ الس ْبت فقُ ْل َنا لَهم كونوا قِردة خاسِ ئٌِن . سورة البقرة ، اآلٌة‬
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Arabian or Hamadryas Baboon (Papio hamadryas) on Jabal Al Noor in Makkah Al
Mukarramah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Photo by: Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali
Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa. 08.04.2012.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/11866019834/
.1..0.0.20 . ‫قرد الرباح العربً على جبل النور فً مكة المُكرمة . تصوٌر : أ. د. نورمان علً بسام خلف‬
Males may have a body measurement of up to 80 cm (31 in) and weigh 20–30 kg
(44–66 lb); females weigh 10–15 kg (22–33 lb) and have a body length of 40–45 cm
(16–18 in). The tail adds a further 40–60 cm (16–24 in) to the length, and ends in a
small tuft. Infants are dark in coloration and lighten after about one year.
Hamadryas baboons reach sexual maturity at about 51 months for females and
between 57 and 81 months for males (Wikipedia).
The baboon's range extends from the Red Sea in Eritrea to Ethiopia, Djibouti and
Somalia. Baboons are also native to and live in southwestern Arabia, in both
Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The Arabian or Hamadryas baboon lives in semidesert areas, savannas and rocky areas, requiring cliffs for sleeping and finding
water. The hamadryas baboon is omnivorous and is adapted to its relatively dry
habitat. During the wet seasons, the baboon feeds on a variety of foods,
including blossoms, seeds, grasses, wild roots, and leaves from acacia trees.
During the dry season, the baboons eat leaves of the Dobera glabra and sisal
leaves. Hamadryas baboons also eat insects, reptiles and small mammals. One
was even observed carrying a dead dik dik (Wikipedia).
The baboons’ drinking activities also depend on the season1 During the wet
seasons, the baboons do not have to go far to find pools of water. During the dry
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 116 – August 2014