The Bleeding Heart Monkeys: The Geladas
On the peaks of Ethiopia live some primates known as “bleeding heart monkeys”. It is a particularly curious animal, which has been relegated to the mountains of this African country.
Characteristics of the gelada
We are talking about the gelada ( Theropithecus gelada ), the last living species of this genus of primates whose fossils are scattered throughout most of Africa and even in Spain and India.
Bleeding-heart monkeys are reminiscent of baboons, although they do not belong to the Papio genus . Like them, they are large terrestrial animals with brown fur, which can exceed 20 kilograms in weight and among which the females are much smaller.
However, baboons are distinguished from geladas by having a more flattened and less hairy snout. In addition, they have the characteristic that makes them known as “bleeding heart monkeys”: a patch of reddish skin that stands out visibly on the chests of these impressive animals and which becomes even more evident in females in heat.
Bleeding-heart monkeys reach adulthood around the age of four, although they sometimes do not reproduce until the age of 8 or 10, due to their short range of motion. They can live for two decades.
Behavior of bleeding heart monkeys
These primates have adapted to the consumption of herbaceous plants; consequently, they possess relatively small fingers and incisors, compared to other primates of the same size. In addition, they move assuming the bipedal position, in order to have their hands free and manipulate their food.
Geladas are among the few primates that have such a specialized diet of grass, which makes up 90% of their diet. However, they also consume small roots, flowers, seeds and rhizomes.
These bleeding heart monkeys live in complex groups, organized on several levels, which can bring together hundreds of specimens. Normally, males migrate from groups, although not in all cases, while females tend to remain in the group they were born into.
Females possess a fair amount of power in gelada groups and males relate to them frequently, prancing rather than resorting to aggression, since a coalition of females is capable of repelling a male who tries to take down the dominant one.
Fascinating behaviors have been observed in the geladas : from their association with Ethiopian wolves to the presence of concepts such as infidelity, as well as a very complex repertoire of vocalizations, which resembles human conversations.
Habitat of bleeding heart monkeys
Geladas live in mountain pastures, more than 2,000 meters high, but it is also possible to meet them at an altitude of 4,000 meters, in much cooler temperatures that allow them to avoid periods of drought. It is important to note that this species is present only in Ethiopia.
While not an endangered species, more than half of the geladas have disappeared from the planet over the past 50 years. It is feared that climate change will end up putting them with their backs to the wall, even if in the past their greatest threat was represented by hunting, motivated by experimentation and research of their hides.
