Head to head
Gelada vs Patas Monkey
The gelada and patas monkey are both highly terrestrial African primates that have moved away from the trees, but they solved the challenges of open habitat in completely different ways.
| Gelada | Patas Monkey | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Theropithecus gelada | Erythrocebus patas |
| Primary diet | Grass, almost exclusively | Omnivorous, grasses and insects |
| Predator defence strategy | Large defensive social bands | Outrunning predators at speed |
| Group size | Can number in the hundreds | Smaller, single-male groups |
| Range | Ethiopian highlands only | Semi-arid sub-Saharan Africa |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Population trend | Decreasing | Stable |
| Habitat | Mountains, grassland | Savanna, grassland |
Gelada vs Patas Monkey: common questions
Which is more unusual for a primate, the gelada's diet or the patas monkey's speed?
Both are genuinely unusual: the gelada is the only living primate species that survives mainly by grazing grass, while the patas monkey is the fastest primate on Earth, relying on speed rather than trees to escape danger, making each species a standout outlier in its own distinct way.
How do the gelada and patas monkey each avoid predators?
The gelada relies on safety in numbers, forming some of the largest social bands of any primate across open highland grassland, while the patas monkey instead relies on exceptional running speed to outrun predators across open savanna, an approach that favours a smaller, faster-moving group.
Do the gelada and patas monkey live in the same part of Africa?
No, the gelada is restricted entirely to the high-altitude grassland of the Ethiopian highlands, while the patas monkey ranges more broadly across semi-arid savanna and grassland habitat throughout sub-Saharan Africa, meaning the two species occupy largely separate regions.