Hamadryas Baboon
Papio hamadryas
- Class
- Mammal
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 198
- Most observed in
- 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas ; Tigrinya: ጋውና, romanized: gawina; Arabic: رُبَّاح, romanized: rubbāḥ) is a species of baboon within the Old World monkey family. It is the northernmost of all the baboons, being native to the Horn of Africa and the southwestern region of the Arabian Peninsula. These regions provide habitats with the advantage for this species of fewer natural predators than central or southern Africa where other baboons reside. The hamadryas baboon was a sacred animal to the ancient Egyptians and appears in various roles in ancient Egyptian religion, hence its alternative name of sacred baboon.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Hamadryas baboon”.