GUINEA BABOON (Papio papio)

The Guinea Baboon (Papio papio) is a baboon from the Old World monkey family. Some (older) classifications list only two species in the genus Papio, this one and the Hamadryas Baboon. In those classifications, all other Papio species are considered subspecies of P. papio and the species is called the Savanna Baboon. The Guinea Baboon inhabits a small area in western Africa. Its range is from Guinea, Senegal, Gambia, southern Mauritania and western Mali. It has reddish brown hair and a hairless, dark-violet or black face with the typical dog-like face, which is surrounded by a small mane. The Guinea Baboon is the smallest baboon species. It is diurnal and terrestrial, but sleeps in trees at night. The number of suitable sleeping trees limits the group size and the range. Although little is known about its social behavior, it is likely to live in harems. Like all baboons it is omnivorous, eating fruits, buds, roots, insects and small mammals. Due to its small range and the loss of its habitat, the Guinea Baboon is classified as "near threatened" by the IUCN.