How surviving baboons behaved after leopard predation: A case report

Abstract

Predation has been an evolutionary force in primates, driving changes in their behavior, cognition, and numerous morphological characteristics. There is little evidence regarding the counterstrategies of primates to predation, because previous studies on primates have focused on the animals eaten rather than the animals that survive. I report a case of predation in which an adult male baboon was preyed on by a leopard in the early morning in the wild and describe how the surviving baboons behaved. Based on this report, I consider the counter-strategies of baboons to leopard predation, such as staying at the sleeping site, producing alarm calls, and shifting the sleeping site. Further information from other predation events is needed to understand the evolution of anti-predation behaviors.