Interesting Primates, Baboons    [26-02-2010] Have you ever heard of an animal called the baboon? Baboons are very intelligent primates. They are mostly found in African countries such as Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. They are also found in Arabia. There are five species of baboons in the world. But all of them look similar. They have powerful jaws and short tails. All of them also have spots on their buttocks. They are about 50~120 centimeters tall and can weigh up to 40 kilograms. The female baboons are almost one-half the size of the males. Baboons spend most of their time on the ground. But they can climb trees to sleep or eat. They eat almost anything they can find. This includes small mammals, little birds, roots, seeds, fruits, nuts, and leaves. They can even eat sea animals that come near the shore. They usually live about 30 years. Baboons are social animals and they live in troops. There are up to 200 members per troop. They use 10 different sounds to communicate with one another. They also sometimes use body language. Ancient Egyptians considered baboons to be sacred and related them with Thoth, the god of letters.     출처: 어린이 영자신문 키즈타임즈 (www.kidstimes.net)