The chacma baboon (Papio ursinus) is a member of the monkey family (Cercopithecidae) and is in fact the heaviest. The males weigh 21kg to 45kg at an average of 31.8kg. Females are considerably smaller, weighing 12kg to 25kg at an average of 15.4kg.
Three sub-species are currently recognised – the Cape chacma from southern South Africa (Papio ursinus ursinus), the grey-footed chacma (P. u. griseipes), found in northern South Africa to southern Zambia and the one occurring in the Kruger National Park, and the Ruacana chacma (P. u. ruacana) from Namibia and southern Angola.
The word ‘chacma’ is derived from the Khoi name for baboon, choa kamma, while the scientific name Papio ursinus comes from the French words papion for baboon and ursinus for ‘bear like’.
is an independent environmental consultant who retired from SANParks in 2007. He was previously engaged in full-time wildlife research in the
