Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 125, May 2015, pp. 19-37. | Page 5

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(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; Khalaf, August 2014).

Arabian Baboon (Papio hamadryas makkah, Khalaf 2015) on Jabal Al-Noor in Makkah AlMukarramah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Photo by: Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam
Khalaf-von Jaffa. 08.04.2012.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/12064579365/

َََ ْ ُُ ِ َ َ َ َ ِ َ َ
َ َ َّ ُ َ
‫قُل هل أ ُ َنبئكم بشرٍّ منْ ََٰذلِك مثو َبة ع ْند َّللا ۚ منْ لَع َنه َّللا ُ وغضِ ب علَ ٌْه وجعل م ْنهم القِردة‬
ِ َ ِ ْ ُ ُ ِّ ْ َ ْ
َ ِ َّ َ ِ ً ُ َ َ
ََٰ‫والخ َنازٌر وع َبد الطاغوت ۚ أُول‬
َ ُ َّ َ َ َ َ ِ َ ْ َ
‫ئك شرٌّ مكانا وأَضل عنْ سواء السَّبٌِل . سورة المائدة ، اآلٌة‬
ِ َ َ َ ُّ َ َ ً َ َ َ َ ِ
ِ
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Ecology
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 and western Arabia,
in both Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The Hamadryas baboon lives in semi-desert
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; Khalaf, August 2014).
The baboons’ drinking activities also depend on the season4 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 125 – May 2015