Sex, Age, and Time Differences in Springtime Activity Budgets of Chacma Baboons (Papio ursinus) in the Kruger National Park

Chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) are found in high densities throughout
the Kruger National Park, one of southern Africa’s leading conservation areas.
Due to their prevalence and relationships to flora and fauna in the park, baboons
play a critical role in shaping Kruger’s ecology. We chose to study time
allocation in order to ascertain the significance of sex, age, and time of day to
behavioral patterns. Activity budgets were determined using focal observations
of male adults, female adults, and juveniles during three periods of the day:
morning, midday, and afternoon. We found that both sex and age affect the
amount of time that an individual spends resting, playing, and being vigilant. In
addition, time of day influences allocation towards eating/foraging, socializing,
resting, and traveling. These results provide a more thorough understanding of
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the behavior of chacma baboons, a necessary component to developing informed
management policies of Kruger’s complex ecological systems.