The Simien Mountains (spelled Semain, Simeon, and Semien) predate the Rift Valley and were formed from lava overflow between 40 and 25 million years ago. The mountains, located in northern Ethiopia and forming part of the Highlands, consist of plateaus and pinnacles separated by deep valleys. The highest mountains are Ras Dashen, at 14,930 feet (4,440 meters), and Kidis Yared, at 14,609 feet (4,453 meters). What makes the Simien Mountains remarkable is that they are among the few places in tropical Africa where snow regularly falls.
Archaeological evidence suggests human presence in the region for thousands of years, with farming communities adapting to the high-altitude environment.
The Simien Mountains are often called the “Roof of Africa”, not only for their towering height but also for their role as a crossroads of natural beauty, human endurance, and Ethiopian history. They serve as home to several endangered species, including the Ethiopian wolf and the endemic walia ibex. The gelada baboon and the caracal also occur within this region.
The gelada baboon, also known as the bleeding-heart monkey, is a species of Old World monkey found only in the Ethiopian Highlands. They thrive at elevations of 5,900-14,400 feet (1,800–4,400 meters) above sea level.
These large, robust primates are covered with tan to dark-brown coarse hair. Their faces are dark and hairless, accented by pale eyelids and a short muzzle similar to that of a chimpanzee. Their hairless arms and feet are nearly black in color, and their short tails end in a tuft of hair. Adult males have a long, heavy mane of hair on their backs.
The Old World monkey genus includes baboons, red colobus, and macaques.
Sexual dimorphism is present in this species: males weigh an average of 40 pounds (18.5 kg), while females weigh an average of 24 pounds (11 kg). The head and body length for both is 20-30 inches.
Gelada or Baboon?
Geladas can always be distinguished from baboons by the bright patch of skin on their chest. The hourglass-shaped patch is responsible for their moniker, “bleeding heart monkey”. In males, it is bright red and surrounded by white hair. In females, it is far less pronounced but accented by knobs of skin. However, during mating season, the female’s patch brightens, and a “necklace” of fluid-filled blisters forms on the patch. This is thought to be analogous to the swollen buttocks commonly seen in baboons during this season.
Special Adaptations
Like its close relative, the baboon, it is largely terrestrial, spending most of its time foraging in grasslands with grasses comprising up to 90% of its diet. The gelada has several adaptations for its terrestrial and graminivorous (grass-eating) lifestyle. It has small, agile fingers adapted for pulling grasses, and small, narrow incisors adapted for chewing.
All Old World primates have well-developed ischial callosities. Ischial callosities, also known as sitting pads, are thickened tissue pads in the gluteal region. These callosities enable them to sit comfortably for extended periods on rough surfaces, such as tree branches or rocky ground, without discomfort or injury. Callosities are particularly helpful when sitting in an upright posture, which is common while feeding, grooming, or resting.
Fun Fact: The gelada has a unique gait, known as the shuffle gait. While feeding, it squats bipedally and moves by sliding its feet without changing its upright posture.
Social structure
Geladas have a complex, multilevel social structure. Reproductive units and male units form the base. Multiple reproductive units and male units join to form a band. Communities consist of between one and four bands. Within the reproductive units, the females are all closely related. Males leave their birth group to establish a unit of their own, but this is not an easy task. The females within the desired new unit determine whether they will accept or reject the new male. If he is accepted, he becomes the dominant male of the group. If the unit has multiple males, the dominant male alone is allowed to mate with the females.
How they communicate
Nearly all primates use multimodal communication, which combines vocalizations, facial expressions, postures, and physical touch. However, all primates are not equal when it comes to communication skills. Geladas are among the most vocal primates and are exceptional in their use of speech-like vocal rhythms and complex social signaling. Their diverse repertoire of vocalizations or “chatter” is similar in complexity to human speech.
Day 11: November 21st
This was another early start as we made our way to Sankabar, the gateway to Simien Mountains National Park. The weather was sunny and clear, with crisp air, perfect for a game of hide and seek with the bleeding hearts. We met our guide, Fikad, at the entrance gate, and our singular focus was to locate a troop of gelada baboons.
The park landscape, as you can see from the photos, was stunning. Escarpments, valleys, and lush rolling hills stretch for miles. As we reached one particularly beautiful viewpoint with an unobstructed 180-degree view, I realized just how massive Simien National Park is. I also pondered our chances of seeing the baboons up close in a park of this magnitude.
Fortunately, the guides maintained contact with each other, sharing information on the baboons’ location. Apparently, the geladas had been advised of our visit and were as eager to meet us as we were to meet them. While we trekked around the park for two hours searching for them and enjoying the views from various viewpoints, our guide received word that our friends were visiting the ranger station near the park entrance. It seems the welcome committee had come to greet us, and we missed our “appointment”.
First Encounter
A bit discouraged by this development, we continued on our way, hoping to encounter another group. Spying a small troop frolicking on a mountainside across a ravine, we set off in their direction. Thirty minutes later, we were rewarded with an amazing sight. We entered a field and discovered more than a hundred geladas sitting on their haunches foraging.
Thankfully, unlike their cousins the baboon, geladas possess a more even temperament.
We approached the field slowly and cautiously. Fortunately, they were completely unbothered by our presence. Separated by only a few feet, we were able to sit and watch them feeding and playing with their young. This was quite an experience for an animal lover like me.
Up Next: Lalibela
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