# Yellow baboon (*Papio cynocephalus*)

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

The yellow baboon (Papio cynocephalus) is a mammal in the primate family Cercopithecidae, subfamily Cercopithecinae and tribe Papionini. It is a medium-sized, diurnal and terrestrial herbivore with a representative adult body mass of 15.82 kg, and reported values from 13.92 to 22.96 kg. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 13.9 kg – 23 kg |
| Length | up to 84 cm |
| Lifespan | 37.5 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 45 years |
| Main food | fruits |
| Habitat | forest |
| Gestation | 173 days – 193 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 4.52 years – 4.82 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.805 |
| 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: Papio
- species: *Papio cynocephalus* (Linnaeus, 1766)

Synonyms: *Simia cynocephalus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the yellow baboon?

The yellow baboon is a mammal, a primate in the family Cercopithecidae and the genus Papio.

### How heavy is a yellow baboon?

An adult Yellow baboon weighs 15.82 kg as a representative value, with reported values from 13.92 to 22.96 kg.

### What does the yellow baboon eat?

The yellow baboon is a herbivore.

### Is the yellow baboon endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List assesses the yellow baboon as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a yellow baboon live?

The yellow baboon has a lifespan of 37.5 years, with values reported up to 45 years.

### How many young does a yellow baboon have?

The yellow baboon has 1 young per litter, at a rate of 0.805 litters per year, after a gestation of 176.1 days.

### When does the yellow baboon reach sexual maturity?

The yellow baboon reaches sexual maturity at 4.7 years, with reported values from 4.5 to 4.8 years.

### Who named the yellow baboon?

The yellow baboon, Papio cynocephalus, was named by (Linnaeus, 1766).

## 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: Yellow baboon (Papio cynocephalus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/yellow-baboon