Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 125, May 2015, pp. 19-37. | Page 8
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also abduct a young female by force. Either way, the male will mate with the
female when she matures. Aging males often lose their females to followers and
soon lose weight and their hair color changes to brown like a female. While
males in most other baboon species are transferred away from their male
relatives and into different troops, male hamadryas baboons remain in their natal
clans or bands and have associations with their male kin (Wikipedia).
Hamadryas baboons have traditionally been thought of having a female transfer
society with females being moved away from their relatives of the same sex.
However, later studies show female baboons retain close associations with their
female kin throughout their lives. Females can spend about as much time with
other females as they do with the harem males, and some females will even
interact with each other outside of their harems. In ad dition, it is not uncommon
for females of the same natal group to end up in the same harem. Females can
still associate and help their extended families despite their interactions being
controlled by the harem males (Wikipedia).
Females within a harem do not display any dominance relationships as seen in
many other baboon and macaque species. The harem males suppress aggression
between the females and prevent any dominance hierarchies from arising.
Despite this, some social differences between the females occur. Some females
are more socially active and have a stronger social bond with the harem male.
These females, known as the "central females", stay in closer proximity to the
harem male than the other females. Females that spend most their time farther
from the harem male are called "peripheral females" (Wikipedia).
Arabian Baboon (Papio hamadryas makkah, Khalaf 2015) eating a banana 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.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/12064605485/
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 125 – May 2015