Baboon Communication

Sunrise

 

I like to refer to my chacma baboons as “explicitly social.” Their intra-group interactions are quite obvious, and at times utterly blatant. It is not unusual to hear baboons screaming, grunting, wahooing, or kecking at each other regularly and it is those loud vocalizations that allow us to track and locate the troops in the early mornings before dawn. Baboons act how they feel and their behaviors are extremely unrestrained.

Baboons communicate through a variety of complex interactions that include visual, auditory, and tactile signals. Communication acts as a vital catalyst for sociality and can arguably be seen as the most essential component of social systems. Baboons interact in a diversity of ways to convey to others their mood. Below are some of the most common forms of communication that I have witnessed with the chacma baboons of the Cape Peninsula.

Visual Communication

Proximity signals- To a baboon, your spatial positioning within the group is crucial. Certain baboons are allowed to sit, forage, or rest nearby each other, while other baboons are excluded. The proximity, or distance, between individuals can be an indicator of social status and relationships. Some baboons will follow others around, while others will actively avoid each other.

The female Zebra presents to the dominant male (photo credit SG Davis)

Presenting- This behavior is done by both male and female baboons and occurs across all age ranges. One baboon approaches another and displays its backside for inspection. Social presenting, in particular, is seen as a submissive gesture where a subordinate individual presents to a dominant one. When a male presents to another more-dominant male, the dominant male will hip-touch or place his hands on the hips of the presenter, as an act of recognition. Sexual presenting occurs when a female (usually one in estrus) presents to a male in order to solicit copulation. Males will genital-inspect females often before mating. Many times presenting behaviors are accompanied by lipsmacking (see below).

Eye-threats- When a baboon wishes to display animosity or agonism towards another, they raise their eyebrows to reveal their pale eyelids and stare directly at another baboon. This is usually a sign of aggression.

Yawn-threat and open-leg posture by the male Julius

Yawn-threats- Typically administered by adult/sub-adult males, this gesture involves a deep yawn that exposes the canine teeth. It is a sure sign of discomfort and a precursor to aggression. If you are ever near a baboon that yawns, it is probably time to move away.

Grimace- A grimace is an expression with barred teeth and the corners of the mouth pulled back so the mouth is partially open (almost like a smile). Baboons will grimace in submission towards dominant individuals.

Gazing or staring- Baboons will stare at another baboon for two broad reasons: they either love that baboon or they dislike that baboon. Males will gaze at a lovely little female if they want to consort with her. Alternatively, staring can be seen as a threat behavior, where one baboon is attempting to warn or intimidate another.

Display- Male baboons will sporadically make a form of visual display in order to threaten or intimidate other males or females. This can involve ground-slapping or shaking of branches in order to make the male appear formidable.

Open-leg displays- This type of visual display is really a way for males to inadvertently signal to other males their presence and show off their decorations by sitting with their legs spread apart. Enough said.

Auditory Communication

Wahoo calls- adult males make a resounding two-part medium frequency call that resembles a dog barking, but has two distinct sound components: a “waa” and a “hoo.” Males shout this “wahoo” call out during aggressive interactions with other males or other troops, when herding females, or if they are lost and trying to find the rest of the troop.

Harrison lipsmacking with his little pink tongue out (photo cred: SG Davis)

Lipsmacking- Lipsmacking involves rapid movement of the tongue and lips apart and together. It is one of my favorite behaviors that baboons do towards each other, because not only is it a friendly and affectionate action, but it is very endearing.

Grunting- Baboons grunt all the time. To say that they are happy and content. To relieve tension. To say hello to another baboon. To interact with the troop. And sometimes, they grunt just because they want to. A grunt is a low-frequency vocalization emitted with the mouth closed or slightly open, usually punctuated by brief silences.

Copulation call- Female baboons make a very loud call right at the end of copulation. They pucker up their lips and puff out their checks to emit a noise that builds in amplitude and climaxes with loud breaths of air. Some scientists believe this call may be a fixed response, for females also make a call similar to this when defecating (you can fill in the details as to why).

Kecking- A keck is a staccato-like submissive call of medium-frequency. In order to keck, a baboon pulls its lips back in a grimace and makes short loud sounds punctuated by silences between each syllable. Kecking usually occurs when a baboon is feeling subordinate or wants to show respect to a dominant individual (unless you are the female RoseMarie, who kecks at everything that moves for no apparent reason).

Pitt jibber-jabbers to the infant Bonaparte

Jibber jabber- Adult males and females will jibber-jabber at small infants as if to say hello to the babies. A jibber-jabber is a vocalization that sounds like a series of excited and rapid grunts with audible inhaling and exhaling sounds. My favorite is when the adult males like Harrison jibber-jabber at the miniature black infants.

Scream- This sound is reminiscent of a human baby scream or the squawk of a bird. It is loud and high frequency. Usually females, juveniles, or infants will scream when they feel threatened or hurt by another individual. Not unlike humans.

Bark- Baboons will bark as a warning call. It is a short vocalization similar to a dog’s bark and given when a female feels at risk of separation from her infant or when the troop may be at risk of a predator or danger (alarm bark).

Chattering- The juvenile baboons love to jabber and chatter with one another, making indiscernible noises back and forth and little nasal grunts when playing and wrestling.

Tactile Communication

Grooming (photo credit: SG Davis)

Grooming- Grooming is of utmost importance to many primates, and chacma baboons are no exception. Baboons sift through the hair of other individuals frequently, picking out bugs or dirt lodged against the skin. Grooming is an affiliative behavior and highlights the type of relationships between individuals, including friendships, family, and social-rank. Grooming is also a great way to reduce parasite loads and clean fur/skin.

Mounting- In addition to mating, baboon individuals will briefly mount each other as a sign of reassurance and affiliation.

Nose-to-nose- Friendly baboons or male and female consortship pairs will occasionally touch noses in affection. It’s a sweet little gesture to witness.

Aggressive contact behaviors- Baboons will engage in aggressive behaviors that can at times culminate in adverse physical touch. Males will herd their females, chasing them, biting them, standing on them, hitting them, and grabbing them (not the most pleasant thing to witness). Very infrequently, I have observed two males engaging in physical fights. Fortunately in terms of amity, the baboons I study are generally significantly good-natured towards each other in comparison with other species.

Babies, Babies, Babies

           

 There have been a total of eight small infants, including four births, while I have been here in South Africa studying the chacma baboons of Tokai forest. The baby baboons that tumble around while I do my research on adult males never cease to make me laugh and their hilarity is a perpetual source of entertainment. The small babies could fit easily in your hand and it takes just about all of my self-control to avoid picking one up. What makes it even harder is that they are extraordinarily curious of us humans, as well. The newborn baboons stare at us with wide, inquisitive brown eyes and sometimes topple too far from their mothers to get a better look at the strange hairless creatures who scribble incessantly on clipboards.

Curious Malta

Krill and Jezebel

Infant baboons are born after about a 6-month gestation period. Their natal pelage is soft and fine with black coloration (newborns’ hair stands amusingly on end). This fur is replaced by the grey-blonde adult pelage around 6 months of age, making it easy to distinguish young baboons from the mischievous juveniles. Newborns have a red-pink skin that contrasts brilliantly with their dark fur and the darker skin of their mothers. They have wide brown eyes and massive pink ears that overwhelm the sides of their heads. They also have long, fluffy tails that are more than the length of their bodies that the babies have a tendency to trip over. It is a few weeks before the mother allows her baby to leave her breast and play with the others. After that moment, the little ones seem determined to test their independence more and more. They stand on the heads of the resting adult males, they tug on the hair of other females, they nibble and poke other babies, they jump into puddles, they chew on bark and grass, they wiggle in-between grooming pairs. Baby baboons are so uncoordinated, it is quite common to see them bouncing around on branches and tumbling to the ground or somersaulting along paths.

Baby Blub

Chewbacca, one of the infants who was killed

Tragically, only six of the eight infants are still alive and well. One was killed by infanticide during a fight with the two troops that I study and the other was a stillbirth. Morbidly, both heartbroken mothers carried the corpses of the dead infants for more than a week. This is natural and part of the grieving process for chacma baboons. The remaining infants are fascinating to watch as they transition from vulnerable infants to rambunctious juveniles. All six babies are in the MT1 troop, which means that ¼ of all females in the troop have infants.

Bonaparte

the male Pitt playing with Bonaparte

Bonaparte is the oldest infant at the moment and he is right at the transition point where his fur and face are changing from pink and black to brown and grey. His mother, Bonnie, possesses a high dominance rank and Bonaparte lives a life without a care in the world. He is incredibly adventurous, curious, and playful. The other baboons dare not torment him due to his high-ranking bloodline and Bonaparte has the audacity to jump around on just about everyone, including the dominant male.

Bonaparte 2 months ago when he still had black hair and pink skin

Bonaparte today with his changing pelage

Willow and Whitie

Willow is the second oldest infant and beginning to change in color. She has a blonde eyebrow and is one of the most inquisitive little ones. Her mother, Whitie, is low-ranking, older, and too weary to give Willow the attention she wants. Instead, Willow romps around the troop seeking grooming from other females. She frolics with the other babies often and loves to explore.

Basil (with Blub) grooming Willow

Willow

Malta

Malta with Harrison and Milka

Malta is the daughter of Milka and the favorite baby of the oldest adult male Harrison (see post on “The Boys” below). She is only a few months old and while she enjoys a certain dose of independence, she stays near her mother and Harrison often. Harri will cradle her and she will sit on top of his head while he grunts affectionately. It is a very sweet interaction to behold.

Day-old Jezebel

Jezebel and Joker

Jezebel was one of the infants born during my time here and it has been remarkable to watch her grow from a blind pink ball of fur into a mischievous little toddler. Her mother, Joker, is somewhat callous towards other baboons, although Jezebel is quite spirited. It is pretty hysterical to watch her as she bounces up and down on branches and wiggles her huge ears up and down.

Little Krill

Krill was born just about a month ago and she is exceptionally cute. Her hair is quite thin, making her pink ears look extremely gigantic. Her face is small and round and her odd-hairline gives her a look of permanent anxiety, yet she seems endearing and gentle.

two-day old Blub and Basil

Blub is my favorite infant. He was born just a couple weeks ago and has yet to leave the comfort of his mother’s breast. I was the only researcher out in the field the day after Blub’s birth, so of course I named him after my all-time favorite word. He is incredibly small, less than half the size of Bonaparte. Blub is the firstborn of his mother, Basil, and he came out bright pink and blind. Basil is a sweet mother and she always holds him close and grooms his tenderly, although she seems overwhelmed with the strain of caring for a miniature baboon. Since Blub is the youngest in the troop, the other females are constantly approaching Basil to inspect Blub and sneak a peak at the new baby. I am curious to see how Blub will begin to grow up and when Basil will let him play on his own. 

Pregnant Basil

Baby Blub

Suckling Blub

Willow and Jezebel (baby Krill is hidden on her mother's stomach)

Jezebel pouncing on Krill

Kruger National Park

(Photo credit: SG Davis)

Amidst my eventful days with the baboons, I was able to take a week off with my parents and travel to some of the most spectacular parts of South Africa (see posts of The Garden Route and Addo Elephant Park below). One of the most astounding locations we ventured to is the renowned Kruger National Park, a place I have dreamt about going to for years—especially since Kruger keeps coming up in many of my wildlife classes back at Cal Poly. Kruger lies in the high Northeast of South Africa, on the border of Mozambique and comprises 20,000 square kilometers. It’s a vast landscape complete with dozens of ecozones, thousands of species, and millions of animals. One moment we would be submerged in dense river thickets and the next, montane bushvelds or open savannas would surround us. We spent three magnificent days exploring Kruger, which in reality only gave us enough time to explore the southernmost portion of the enormous park.

Our journey began from Port Elizabeth, where we caught a plane to Johannesburg and rented a car to drive through the reserve. As typical Davis people do, we refused the excessive tourist trips and simply took our own car through the park with merely a couple confusing maps and no guides or tours. Remarkably, we saw it all. Elephants, hippos, buffalo, giraffes, jackals, bush babies, rhinos, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, lions, monkeys, ostriches, ungulates, birds, zebras, mongoose, warthogs… you name it. Our second day there, we saw the big five all in one day (elephant, rhino, buffalo, leopard, and lion). At moments we felt like we would never be able to see above the dense acacia thickets, but the wildlife was prolific and the scenery was stunning. Few places on earth can support such densities of wildlife and boast unparalleled panoramas of mountains, hills, valleys, and open plains. 

elephants dusting themselves with red African dirt

We spent two nights within the park’s boundaries, staying in small bungalows within designated camp areas—one of which was positioned above the Sabie river where wildlife like crocodiles, elephants, kudu, and guinea fowl roamed the banks and hippos bellowed throughout the night. We explored in our miniature vehicle almost the entire day from sunrise to sunset, snacking on pepper and salt chips and Endearmints. We visited watering holes where hippos wallowed and herds of rhino feasted on grass. We saw an infant rhino trampling the dry grass beside its mother’s feet. We watched a herd of elephants submerge themselves completely underwater and swim across the river with only their trunks visible. We witnessed a cheetah walk within feet of our car along the road. Welcome to Africa. 

(photo credit: SG Davis)

Kudu! (photo credit: SG Davis)

Try to spot the leopard here