# Gelada (*Theropithecus gelada*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/gelada  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The gelada (Theropithecus gelada), also called the gelada baboon or Bleeding-heart monkey, is a mammal in the primate family Cercopithecidae, subfamily Cercopithecinae, tribe Papionini. It is a medium-sized primate with a representative adult body mass of 17.05 kg, and our sources report adult weights from 11.92 to 18.38 kg. The gelada is a terrestrial, diurnal herbivore whose main food is grass.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 11.9 kg – 18.4 kg |
| Length | 50 cm – 75 cm |
| Lifespan | 28 years – 36 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | grass |
| Habitat | grassland |
| Gestation | 172 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 3.83 years – 6 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.5 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Primates
- family: Cercopithecidae
- genus: Theropithecus
- species: *Theropithecus gelada* (Rüppell, 1835)

Synonyms: *Macacus gelada*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the gelada?

The gelada is a mammal in the order Primates, belonging to the family Cercopithecidae and the genus Theropithecus.

### How heavy is a gelada?

An adult Gelada has a representative body mass of 17.05 kg. Our sources report adult weights from 11.92 to 18.38 kg.

### What does the gelada eat?

The gelada is a herbivore, and its main food is grass.

### Is the gelada endangered?

No. The gelada is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a gelada live?

The gelada has a lifespan of 28 years, and our sources report values up to 36 years.

### How many young does a gelada have?

A gelada has 1 young per litter, with 0.5 litters per year, after a gestation period of 172.4 days.

### When does a gelada reach sexual maturity?

A gelada reaches sexual maturity at 4.9 years, with reported values from 3.8 to 6.0 years.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Gelada (Theropithecus gelada). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/gelada