Chacma baboon

Scientific name: Papio ursinus

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Large primates with powerful builds, yellowish-brown to dark olive-grey coats, and pronounced dog-like muzzles. Males are significantly larger and darker than females, with prominent canines and a heavier neck and shoulder region.

Size and weight

Males 20–30 kg, body length 50–68 cm; females 10–15 kg, body length 45–58 cm.

Habitat

Chacma baboons inhabit rocky outcrops, cliff faces, and savanna woodland across southern Africa, typically from sea level to 2,000 m elevation. They prefer areas with reliable water sources and mixed grassland-scrub terrain.

Distribution

Endemic to southern Africa, ranging from Angola and Zambia south through Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa; restricted to savanna, woodland, and rocky terrain.

Diet

Omnivorous: grass, roots, tubers, seeds, fruits, insects (especially locusts and scorpions), and opportunistic small vertebrates; diet shifts seasonally toward available vegetation and invertebrates.

Behaviour

Diurnal and highly social, moving in hierarchical troops of 5–150 individuals; active foragers in early morning and late afternoon, resting in midday heat. They sleep on rock faces or in trees and cover several kilometres daily.

Hunting tips

Track troops by locating fresh dung clusters (cylindrical, dark, often in rocky areas) and broken vegetation where they forage. Approach from downwind during rest periods at midday; use rock outcrops and sparse cover to move within range. Early morning and late afternoon offer best visibility when troops are actively feeding on open ground.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 6 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.