About

The Authors

Beast Ape is a hominin enrolled as a doctoral student at a large Midwest university. He/She spends most of his/her time researching our primate relatives. Beast Ape previously wrote a different science blog for the past two years. Prior to enrolling in graduate school, he/she taught biology and environmental science at a high school in the Northeast. The author’s alma mater is known for her occasionally dominant basketball team, beautiful magnolia trees, and fight song (purportedly sang by Brian Piccolo during Chicago Bears training camp).

The bleeding heart baboons are not baboons in the truest sense. This is to say they are not members of the genus Papio, but are instead the only extant species in the genus Theropithecus. Commonly referred to as gelada baboons (Theropithecus gelada), geladas are endemic to the Ethiopian highlands. They are the only primate species to feed nearly entirely on grass, constituting over 90% of their diet. The nickname of the “bleeding heart baboon” comes from the unique bare patch of skin located on the chest of both male and female geladas. In females, this patch is a sexual signal that changes color from light pink to deep red with beaded vesicles corresponding with increasing fertility during estrous. The function of the chest patch remains unknown in males, but is hypothesized to be a quality signal that males use to size up potential rivals.

The Blog

“Beast Ape & the Bleeding Heart Baboons” is a blog dedicated to the intersection of science and culture. Given the interests of the author and his/her primate pals, the blog focuses on the biological-behavioral sciences and related interdisciplinary material. Topics of discussion include animal behavior, anthropology, biology, cognitive ethology, endocrinology, evolution, immunology, primatology, and psychology. Since the author is a former science teacher, topics such as science education and science policy are also addressed. And because no good blog refrains from political commentary, “Beast Ape” will contain the normal political jabber expected from someone who would dedicate his/her life to science.

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in “Beast Ape and the Bleeding Heart Baboons” are the author’s and are not shared by his/her associated department, institution, research project, family, and friends—especially the geladas.