Animal · Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda
Olive baboon
Papio anubis — the name this animal has in the language scientists everywhere share.
The olive baboon is a large, greenish-grey monkey that lives in noisy troops on the savannas and open woodlands of central Africa. A troop can hold more than a hundred animals, led by a few strong males with long, dog-like muzzles.
Picture credit: Charles J. Sharp (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Giles Laurent (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where does the olive baboon live?
Home: Savannas, open woodland and steppe across central Africa.
In the wild it lives in these countries: Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali.
Conservation status from the IUCN: not in danger.
The short profile
Fully grown: 50-114 cm head and body, plus a tail of 38-58 cm. It weighs about 20 kilograms. On the menu: both plants and meat.
The story behind it
Olive baboons live in troops of fifteen to more than a hundred animals, and the troop is the safest place to be. Members groom each other for hours, which keeps the fur clean and the friendships strong. They eat almost anything: grass, roots, fruit, insects, birds' eggs and now and then a small antelope. Because they are clever and bold, baboons also raid fields and bins near villages, which gets them into trouble with farmers. Young baboons ride on their mother's back like small jockeys, gripping her fur while the troop moves on. From Mali in the west to Ethiopia and Tanzania in the east, olive baboons are still one of Africa's most common monkeys.
Find it on the globe
Olive baboon is there as a tiny animated figure that breathes and looks around. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
It sits at its real coordinates, not near them — the same numbers listed in the facts above. Switch off the layer for this kind of place and it disappears again; the buttons for that are down the right-hand edge.
Questions children ask
What do olive baboons eat?
Almost anything they can find. Grass, roots, fruit and seeds make up most of the meal, but they also take insects, birds' eggs, small mammals and sometimes a young antelope.
Are olive baboons dangerous to people?
They avoid people most of the time, but a big male has long canine teeth and will defend himself. Trouble usually starts where baboons have learned to take food from tents, cars or bins.
Why do baboons groom each other?
Grooming picks dirt and parasites out of the fur, but it does more than that. Who grooms whom shows who belongs together, and a well-groomed friend is one who will back you up in a quarrel.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
Last checked: