After spending yesterday in the trees learning about the Northern Cardinal, I thought we would change courses and head to the Ethiopian Highlands where the trees are few and far between. While wandering through the grassland escarpments and deep gorges, keep an eye out for the worlds most terrestrial primates,(with the exception of humans) known as the Gelada. This particular primate is a shaggy, baboon-like animal that can only be found in the highlands of Ethiopia. So what are you waiting for? We have a plane to catch if we want to make it to Africa before sundown.

Night Time Thrill Seekers

As mentioned, the habitat of the Gelada is slightly different than most other primates. They give up the forests and plains for a high altitude grassland that consists of many rocky cliffs and gorges. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is cool to live near a cliff, however, I don’t think I would like to try sleeping in a huddled group on a ledge, like our baboon friends do. I would be deathly afraid to roll over in my sleep if I were a Gelada. Once the sun rises, these Old World Monkeys climb back over the cliff and forage in the mountainous grasslands. This sounds a lot more relaxing than their thrill-seeking sleeping habits!

The Lazy Monkey Adaptation

The Gelada is the last known species of a very old lineage of grazing primates that used to dominate the landscape. Much like they have adapted to living on cliffs, this Old World Monkey has also adapted to sitting around all day and eating grass. How? Well, their buttocks have extra cushioning, much like humans – and I don’t mean that as insult to anyone out there. Considering they literally sit around all day, this evolution of a soft cushion seems pretty smart to me.

The True Boss

Much like humans, the Gelada lives in family units but they generally consist of one male and there to six females. Like most other animal species, the male is typically larger and more colourful. Unlike most other primate troops (except for humans), the females are in control of the Gelada family. Once the male begins to deteriorate as a result of age, it is the females that decide when a new younger male will replace him. Granted, the old guy will do everything he can to ward off the competition but there is only so much he can do. Poor guy!

That does it for our trip to Ethiopia. I hope you enjoyed learning about one of the most terrestrial primates on earth.