Geladas – Not Your Average Primates

Photo by Jane Behrend

Did you know that Ethiopia’s geladas are the world’s most terrestrial (land dwelling) primate other than our own species?

The fascinating fact and others comes courtesy of National Geographic, which has recently published an article and produced a video on the iconic Ethiopian species.

“As mostly grass-eaters, they are the last surviving species of ancient grazing primates that were once numerous,” writes Michael Nichols. The baboon-sized mammals live in herds of up to 1,200 individual animals, some of the largest groups of any primate. “The leader male is dominant to all other members of his family unit, but is eventually replaced by a younger rival. The fights during these replacements can be vicious and noisy.”

Get a glimpse of that power struggle by watching the Nat Geo video World’s Deadliest – Gelada versus Gelada.

Or visit these incredible primates in their natural habitat by taking a Jacaranda Tours safari into the Simien Mountains of north-central Ethiopia, a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that protects the gelada’s most important range.

Photo by Jane Behrend