Whilst birding the Raydah Escarpment I saw a number of groups of Hamadryas
Baboon Papio hamadryas a species that is common in the Abha / Tanoumah
area of the Asir Mountains with large groups seen all along the escarpments. It
is the northernmost of all the baboons and is distinguished from other baboons
by the male’s long, silver-grey shoulder cape (mane and mantle), and the pink
or red rather than black face and rump. Males may have a body measurement of up
to 80 cm and weigh 20–30 kg. They occur from north-eastern Africa, mainly in
Ethiopia, but also eastern Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and northern Somalia as
well as the Arabian Peninsula, in Saudi Arabia and Yemen where it is the only
native non-human primate. In Saudi Arabia they inhabit arid sub-desert, steppe,
hilly areas, escarpments at elevations of up to 3,000 metres requiring cliffs
for sleeping and finding water. They are primarily terrestrial, but will sleep
in trees or on cliffs at night. Each adult male controls a small group of
females (a harem) and their young, and remains bonded with the same females
over several years, aggressively ‘herding’ any that wander, and retaining
exclusive mating rights over the group.
