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The gelada also known as the bleeding-heart baboon or the gelada baboon, is a specie of Old World Monkey found only in the Ethiopian Highlands. They are often called “Bleeding-Heart Monkey” due to the distinctive red, hourglass-shaped patch of skin on their chests, which can resemble a bleeding wound.
This distinctive patch becomes more pronounced and brightens in color during social interactions, particularly when the males are showing dominance. Geladas have a fur that is mostly brown, with a lighter mane around the shoulders in males.
Naturally, they prefer open grasslands and rocky cliffs, where they can graze and find refuge from predators. The female bleeding-heart baboon has a also have a bare patch of skin but it is less pronounced, except during estrus cycle when it brightens and exhibits a “necklace” of fluid-filled blisters.
Geladas live in a complex, multilevel society where the smallest and most basic groups are the reproductive units. This includes up to 12 females, their young, and one to four males. Another unit consists of all-males of 2-15 males.
They feed on grass, making them the only primate with a diet mainly composed of grasses and seeds. They eat both blades and the seeds of grasses. They also eat flowers, and roots when available, using their hands to dig for them. They consume herbs, small plants, fruits, creepers, bushes and thistles.
Bleeding-heart baboons are known for their complex vocalizations, which includes grunts, screams, and various calls that convey different messages. They are primarily diurnal, meaning they are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or inactivity at night. At night, they sleep on the ledges of cliffs and leave the cliffs during the day to feed and socialize.
Breeding and reproduction occurs anytime of the year, with most births occurring at night. The females carry their infants on the belly for the first five weeks, and thereafter on her back. Infants can move independently at around five months old.
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