reading baboon, baboons of uganda

The five baboon species are some of the largest non-hominid members of the primate order; only the Mandrill and the Drill are larger. In modern scientific use, only members of the genus Papio are called baboons, but previously the closely related Gelada (genus Theropithecus) and two species of Mandrill and Drill (genus Mandrillus) were grouped in the same genus, and these monkeys are still often referred to as baboons in everyday speech. The word "baboon" comes from "babouin", the name given to them by the French naturalist Buffon. The baboon held several positions in Egyptian mythology. The baboon god Baba, was worshipped in Pre-Dynastic times; alternatively, this may be the origin of the animal's name. Papio belongs to family Cercopithecidae, in subfamily Cercopithecinae.

Another baboon society in Africa interacts with the Masai by stealing their goats for meat and waiting for Masai to dig in the dry river beds for water. After the Masai leave the water hole, the baboons sneak in to drink whatever water is left.