Nature Atlas

How Nature Works
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Specy

Gelada

Mammals

The gelada, sometimes called the bleeding-heart monkey, is a species of Old World monkey found only in the Ethiopian Highlands, living at elevations between 1,800 and 4,400 metres, and the only living member of its genus, Theropithecus, a name derived from Greek roots meaning beast-ape. Like its close relatives the baboons, it is largely terrestrial and spends much of its time foraging in grasslands, with grasses making up as much as 90 percent of its diet. Adult males grow longer hair on their backs and display a conspicuous, hourglass-shaped patch of bright red skin on the chest, a feature also present but less pronounced in females, whose patch brightens and develops a necklace of fluid-filled blisters during estrus. Geladas live in a complex, multilevel society built from reproductive units and male units that combine into bands and then communities, and their vocal repertoire is considered among the most complex of any primate besides humans; the population is estimated to have fallen from about 440,000 in the 1970s to roughly 200,000 by 2008, though the species remains listed as least concern.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Herbivore 2
System (Realm)
Terrestrial 3
Relationship to People
Hunted or Fished 1
Relationship to People
Agricultural or Structural Pest 1
Living or Extinct
Yes 4
Derived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status (w-bfill-g5-0924 browse backfill).
Scientific Name
Theropithecus gelada 1
Conservation Status
Least Concern 1
Population Estimate
200,000 1
Identification
Distinguishing Appearance
It has buff to dark brown hair with a dark face and pale eyelids 1
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Cercopithecidae, Taxa
Source Catalogue of Life

In Biome

Grassland, Biomes
Source Gelada (Wikidata)
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Gelada, Wikipedia
  • Taxobox, scientific name field
    Theropithecus gelada
  • Taxobox, conservation status field
    Least Concern
  • Introduction section
    The population of geladas is thought to have dropped from 440,000 in the 1970s to 200,000 in 2008.
  • Description section
    It has buff to dark brown hair with a dark face and pale eyelids.
  • article text (relationship to people), EntityId 284431
    The gelada is considered a crop pest by farmers near Simien National Park.
View the Source
2. EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014)
3. Gelada (Wikipedia)
largely terrestrial, spending much of its time foraging in grasslandsView the Source
4. GBIF Species API
GBIF Species APIView the Source
Wikidata: Gelada
Wikidata Q194080, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Gelada (Wikidata)
Wikidata
  • Wikidata Q194080 (P1034 main food source): grass
    Main food source (Wikidata property P1034): grass.
  • In Biome: Grassland, Introduction
View the Source
Catalogue of Life
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of LifeChild Taxon Of: CercopithecidaeView the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.