Mammals
Gelada
Theropithecus gelada · also called gelada baboon, bleeding heart monkey
Grazing across the open highland grassland of Ethiopia in a band numbering in the hundreds, a gelada represents one of the more social and dietarily unusual primates on Earth, the only species in the entire order that survives mainly by eating grass.
Overview
The gelada, Theropithecus gelada, is a grass-grazing primate native exclusively to high-altitude mountain grassland habitat within the highlands of Ethiopia. Its unique grass-based diet unmatched by any other primate, distinctive red chest patch, and enormous multi-level social bands make it one of the most behaviourally and dietarily unusual primates found anywhere in the world.
A primate that grazes like a hoofed mammal
While nearly every other primate depends on fruit, leaves, or a broader omnivorous diet, the gelada instead grazes on grass much like an antelope or gazelle, an evolutionary path unique among primates and one that has shaped its entire social and physical way of life.
Status
Least Concern, though ongoing agricultural expansion and habitat conversion across the Ethiopian highlands have contributed to a decreasing population trend.
Gelada: common questions
Why is the gelada considered unique among primates?
This species is the only living primate species that feeds mainly on grass, a dietary specialisation shared with grazing hoofed mammals rather than most other primates, which typically rely on fruit, leaves, or a more varied omnivorous diet instead.
Why is the gelada called the bleeding heart monkey?
This species has a distinctive bare patch of red skin on its chest, a feature that has earned it this vivid nickname and plays a role in social and reproductive signalling, becoming more intensely coloured in reproductively active females.
How large can gelada social groups get?
This species can form some of the largest social groups documented in any primate, with smaller family units combining into much larger bands sometimes numbering in the hundreds, gathering together across open highland grassland for safety and social interaction.
Where does the gelada live?
This species is native exclusively to high-altitude grassland habitat within the highlands of Ethiopia, an unusually specialised environment compared with the forest and savanna habitat favoured by most other primate species around the world.