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Discover the Wild Side: Top 7 Unbelievable Baboon Fun Facts You Need to Know!

illustration of baboons
Get ready to have your mind blown by the wild and fascinating world of baboons, as we share some of the quirkiest and most amazing fun facts about these rowdy primates!

1. Booty Call Biology

You know what they say – size does matter, especially when it comes to baboon booty calls: Female baboons experience up to a 25% increase in the size of swellings around their genitals and anus during their estrous cycle, helping males identify prime mating opportunities. Social rank also comes into play, with top-tier males enjoying better odds of continuing their baboon bloodline.
Source => nerdfighteria.info

2. Gossip and Grooming

Ever get a haircut just for the gossip? Baboons can relate: These primates engage in social grooming, not just for cleanliness but also to strengthen relationships, leading to improved survival rates and a more cooperative community.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

3. Baboon Idol

Move over, American Idol: baboons are stepping up to the mic with their own vocal talent show! These furry contestants have a repertoire of five distinct vowel-like sounds, similar to those used in human speech, despite having a higher-located larynx. Not only that, they've got the tongue muscles to perfect their pitch just like us, suggesting our last common ancestor could have been belting out vowels 25 million years ago.
Source => livescience.com

4. Sorority Baboons

When it comes to baboon society, it's not just monkey business: it's a full-blown sorority hierarchy! In this wild world of swanky simians, a femme fatale's social standing actually impacts her descendants' growth and development: Top-tier mama baboons raise kids that grow faster and mature quicker than their less prestigious peers, as observed in various studies.
Source => princeton.edu

Misunderstood Apes

5. Misunderstood Apes

Despite the fact that baboons may seem like they're just one ape-shaking smoothie away from starring in their own Planet of the Apes remake, these grinning primates are really just misunderstood actors in the animal kingdom: Baboons are not known to attack humans, still as opportunistic eaters, they can adapt to various diets, and their impressive canines are more to display dominance than to wage war on mankind.
Source => a-z-animals.com

6. Yawning Intimidation

Yawning their way to the top of the food chain: Male Hamadryas baboons flash a toothy grin, baring their impressive 4-centimeter canines as a warning sign to other baboons that they've got some serious chompers in their arsenal.
Source => animalia.bio

7. Hefner or Courtier?

If baboons were to attend a fancy dress party, they'd be torn between going as Hugh Hefner or joining a royal court: this is because hamadryas baboons live in harems with one male guarding and mating with several females, while chacma baboons congregate in Friends-like casts where dominance hierarchies dictate the pecking order.
Source => elifesciences.org

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