Hamadryad

Alarmed by the appearance of people, dogs or other enemies, the herd raises a deafening cry and howl. Climbing the rocks, they roll down the stones for protection. For people not armed with guns, old male hamadryas, due to their strength, strong teeth, courage and solidarity, can be very dangerous.

Reproduction, apparently, is not confined to a certain time of the year; the female gives birth to one cub and is very attached to him. In general, all members of the same community live very friendly. Old males courageously defend young cubs. Their main enemy is the leopard, which carries off young individuals and cubs.

The ancient Egyptians considered them the incarnation of the god Babi and revered them as sacred animals, and the god Hapi (son of Horus) was often depicted with the head of this primate. At present, there are no wild hamadryas anywhere in Egypt.

Hamadryas live in open areas of Africa (Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, South Nubia) and Asia (Arabian Peninsula, including Yemen).

They always keep on the ground, climbing the steepest cliffs and rocks with great skill; trees climb only in exceptional cases. They feed on plant roots and small animals (snails, worms and insects), to find which they turn over stones. On occasion, plantations are attacked.

Hamadryas keep in large groups of 100-150 individuals, in the mountains, rising to considerable heights; the proximity of water is a necessary condition for their habitat. Each group consists of 10-15 large old males. Each herd roams from place to place in a certain area.

The ischial calluses are red, the bare skin of the face is dirty-bodily. The females are darker colored than the males and the mane hairs are shorter; young males look like females.

A large monkey reaching one meter in length (old males), with a tail of 20-25 cm; females are half the size. The general color of the hair covering the body of the hamadryas is gray (the color of dry grass); in males, long, originally arranged hair on the head, shoulders and chest forms a kind of mane.

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