The Kinda baboon (''Papio kindae'') is a species of

baboon Baboons are primates comprising the genus ''Papio'', one of the 23 genera of Old World monkeys. There are six species of baboon: the hamadryas baboon, the Guinea baboon, the olive baboon, the yellow baboon, the Kinda baboon and the chacma b ...

present in the

miombo The Miombo woodland is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome (in the World Wide Fund for Nature scheme) located primarily in Central Africa. It includes four woodland savanna ecoregions (listed below) characterized b ...

woodlands of

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, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and possibly western Tanzania. It was once considered a subspecies of the yellow baboon (''P. cynocephalus''), then distinct enough to merit status as full species (''P. kindae'') under the

phylogenetic species concept In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexe ...

It is named after the town in southern DRC where the type-locality was found.

Description

The Kinda baboon is golden in color with a light build and slender, lanky appearance. Their fur is somewhat longer and is less coarse and much softer compared to other baboon species. It is the smallest of all baboons; adult males are about the size of adult females of other baboon species. The Kinda baboon is also characterized by a shorter snout and pink circles around the eyes. Infants are usually born with white hair rather than black, typical of other baboons. Sexual dimorphism in Kindas is more moderate than in any other baboon species. Kinda baboon white infant with mother

Hybrid species

Baboons in between the size of the Kinda baboon and the yellow baboon are present in northeastern Zambia, and possibly in northern Malawi and southwestern Tanzania as well. Such a broad area of intergradation has been taken as evidence of substantial genetic exchange between the two taxa. Kinda baboons hybridise with

chacma baboon The chacma baboon (''Papio ursinus''), also known as the Cape baboon, is, like all other baboons, from the Old World monkey family. It is one of the largest of all monkeys. Located primarily in southern Africa, the chacma baboon has a wide vari ...

s in

Kafue National Park Kafue National Park is the largest national park in Zambia, covering an area of about 22,400 km² (similar in size to Wales or Massachusetts). It is one of the largest parks in Africa and is home to 152 different species of mammals. The park ...

in southern Zambia.

Behaviour

The Kinda baboons live in multisexual groups, similar to olive and yellow baboons. These are often much larger, often comprising over 100 baboons. Compared to all other baboon species, Kindas are unusually docile and uniquely characterized by high levels of male investment in male-female social relationships. Strict social hierarchy with female permanent rank obtained from the mother was observed as in other species. Males join new groups and may rise in rank, but violent confrontations are mostly avoided.

Description

Hybrid species

Behaviour

References

Further reading