The physical, behavioral and ecological diversity of baboons (genus Papio) makes them a fruitful source as analogies for understanding early human evolution. This project investigates a widespread but little known species, the kinda baboon (P. kindae), and probes the physiological and genetic bases of its distinctive behaviors and physical features. Besides being unusually small and juvenile in appearance, kinda baboons appear less sexually differentiated than other baboons. Behaving like females of other species, adult male kindas frequently initiate long grooming sessions, while females often give alarm barks, which is normally a male baboon activity. Unexpectedly, kinda baboons hybridize with neighboring chacma baboons (P. ursinus) which are almost twice their size, and are behaviorally more typical. This research project traces the causes of these species differences from the level of observable behavior and anatomy, through the level of development and hormonal control, to the level of the genome. Over 200 kinda, hybrid, and chacma baboons are trapped, sampled, and released unharmed in Kafue National Park, Zambia. Basic biological data such as weight and body measurements are collected along with blood samples. Specialist labs investigate these blood samples for the hormones and other biologically active components that influence growth, sexual differentiation, and behavior, and produce a high-resolution map of the kinda genome. Physiological differences that consistently distinguish kindas can then be tracked to the genetic level, by comparing fast-evolving candidate regions in kindas with homologous regions in other baboon species.
The project is innovative in combining proven, comparatively low-tech field techniques with cutting edge technology in genomics and hormonal physiology. Most immediately, it fills a major gap in our knowledge of a key primate genus. In the long term, it provides insights into behavioral variation and evolution in other species, including humans. In the wider sphere, the project will train graduate students, further scientific collaboration with Zambian Wildlife authorities, and promote the status of baboons in wildlife tourism.
The goal of this project was to generate new information regarding a broad range of questions concerning the kinda baboon, Papio kindae. Baboons of the genus Papio are a common, widespread group of large-bodied terrestrial Old World monkeys. They are naturally distributed across most of sub-Saharan Africa, with an additional population on the Arabian Peninsula. Papio baboons are among the most extensively studied of nonhuman primates, and today experts generally divide this genus into six species. The kinda baboon (P. kindae) is one of these, but for a number of reasons, unlike the other five species in the group, kinda baboons have not been systematically studied in the wild. The purpose of this project was to conduct a field study of kinda baboons in Zambia, choosing one locality where they live quite distant from other baboon species and a second place where kinda baboons come into contact and hybridize with another baboon species, the grayfoot chacma baboon, Papio ursinus. To collect new information about this species, we undertook field studies of wild baboons in two localities within Zambia: Chunga, where there are only kinda baboons and Ngoma, where we had previously identified kinda-grayfoot hybrid baboons. Both these two study sites are within Kafue National Park. We received permission to conduct this research from the Zambian Wildlife Authority (ZAWA). In order to investigate several aspects of the biology of kinda baboons, we assembled a team of field researchers and laboratory collaborators. The primary researchers were Dr. Clifford Jolly (New York Univ.), Dr. Jane Phillips-Conroy (Washington Univ., St. Louis) and Dr. Jeffrey Rogers (Baylor College of Medicine). Our field team also included graduate students from Washington Univ. and NYU, personnel from Kafue National Park and ZAWA, and a veterinarian from the Zambian Department of Veterinary and Livestock Development, Lusaka. This field team successfully trapped, investigated and released kinda baboons at Chunga and hybrid kinda-chacma baboons at Ngoma. A total of 92 individual animals (76 kinda, 16 kinda-grayfoot hybrids) were studied. This constitutes the first scientific study of living kinda baboons. The analysis of the data we collected is still on-going, but a number of new findings have already been obtained. First, we confirmed preliminary observations that we and others made in previous observation-only surveys in these areas. The kinda baboons at Chunga are significantly smaller than nearly all other baboon populations across Africa, and display a series of differences in external pelage. The kinda baboons have a midline crest of hair across the top of their heads, pink skin around the eyes, and the infants are born with entirely white fur, rather than the black fur typical for all other baboons. Both adult male and adult female kinda baboons are smaller than adults of other baboon species, and the difference in size between males and females is less than in other species. Each animal (kinda or hybrid) trapped and released in this study was measured for body size and weight, had a tooth cast taken for analysis of tooth size and wear, had a blood sample drawn for various analyses and was photographed. The blood samples are being used for studies of hormone levels and other endocrinological traits in an effort to understand the biological basis for small body size in this species. The results to date suggest that kinda baboons show differences in insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3), which may influence the body size difference. In collaboration with other scientists, we are also analyzing endocrine traits that may be related to unique behaviors observed among the male kinda baboons. The kinda males spend more time grooming females that are not sexually receptive than do other species of baboons, and we are investigating the possible effects of prolactin, testosterone and other endocrine measures in the kinda males. The blood samples also serve as a source of DNA for genetics studies. We have sequenced the complete genomes of three kinda baboons, and performed extensive additional genetic analyses of 12 more. These studies will allow the first comprehensive genetic comparisons of kinda baboons with other baboon species, as well as with other primates, including humans. This type of field study of wild primates, involving analyses of morphology, behavior, endocrinology and genetics, serves several larger purposes. Greater understanding of primate biological diversity leads to greater appreciation for biological diversity in general and supports efforts at conservation. Improved understanding of genetic and morphological differences within and among species, including hybrids between species, increases our knowledge of the process and history of primate evolution. This has direct application to our understanding of human evolution. Finally, there are long-term benefits to human health and biomedicine that derive from a greater understanding of the biology of nonhuman primates such as baboons.
