Nick Chamberlain, age 14, of Laconia, N.H., for his question:
HOW LARGE IS THE BABOON?
Baboon is the common name for a type of large monkey. It is a powerful and aggressive animal that is about the size of a large dog. A female baboon usually weights about 30 pounds while the male tips the scale at about 90 pounds. Some males weight 150 pounds.
You'll find the baboon living wild in Africa and Arabia. There it avoids the forest areas and prefers life on the range and over rocky, open lands and wooded areas. The animal is also a favorite in zoos around the world.
The baboon has a strong, elongated jaw, large cheek pouches in which it often stores food, and eyes that are very close together. The animal also has overhanging brows and strong limbs. The arms are about as long as the legs.
Baboons have large, often brightly colored, hairless areas on their buttocks and thick, sturdy legs. The tail is generally short and is carried high in an arch. On some baboons, however, the tail can measure more than two feet in length.
Baboons live in groups of from 10 to 100 animals. Sometimes the troop, as the group is called, can have as many as 200 or 300 members. They eat eggs, fruits, grass, insects, leaves and roots.
The social life of the baboon is matriarchal, which means that mother is the boss. Females inherit rank from their mothers. Male rank is open to challenge and changes frequently.
After a gestation period of about six months, a female baboon usually bears a single offspring. The baby clings to its mother's underside for many months after birth.
Baboons can distinguish colors and have a keen sense of smell. The animals have several different calls, each of which has a meaning.
Largest of the baboons is the south African pig tailed baboon which has a green tint along its back.
Male baboons can be fierce fighters. They have even attacked leopards. The male is a formidable fighter against the troop's enemies, including the South African farmer whose crops it may ravage.
The olive baboon is found in western Africa and as far north as the Congo River and the borders of Sudan and Ethiopia. It has a darker brown coat than the grayish brown of the South African baboon.
The yellow baboon is native to western and central Africa, south to Mashonaland in Zimbabwe. Several subspecies of these baboons all have light yellow coats and blackish faces.
Another well known species is the North African hamadryas baboon, known as the sacred baboon because it was deified by the ancient Egyptians.
The mandrill, a large baboon found in western Africa, has an enormous head, crested and bearded, and almost no forehead. Another western African species is the drill, somewhat smaller than the mandrill, but similar in temperament.