Gelada

Geladas occupy the steep escarpments of Ethiopia’s highlands at elevations above 2,000 meters. Thick fur insulates them against cold winds, while bare pink chest patches display status and reproductive readiness. Unlike most monkeys, geladas spend their days sitting and plucking grass from the ground with nimble fingers, earning the nickname “bleeding-heart baboons” for their chest markings.

Diets consist mostly of grasses, roots, and occasional herbs dug from the soil. Short, shovel-like fingers and tough lips let geladas pinch individual blades close to the ground. They chew constantly, grinding food with specialized molars. During the dry season they dig up corms and seeds, using incisors to scrape soil away.

Social organization forms multiple layers. The core unit contains one adult male, several adult females, and their young. Several units often travel together as a band, and many bands gather into massive herds of hundreds on open slopes. Males compete for access to units by showing their chest patches, flipping their upper lips to reveal long teeth, and producing complex calls that sound like human chatter.

Nights are spent on sheer cliff faces, where geladas huddle for warmth and safety from hyenas and leopards. Threats include habitat loss from agricultural expansion, overgrazing by livestock, and climate shifts that alter grass availability. Conservationists work with local communities to protect highland grasslands, regulate tourism on popular plateaus, and support research that tracks herd movements across seasons.