The Gelada (Theropithecus gelada), sometimes called the Gelada Baboon, is a species of Old World monkey found only in the Ethiopian Highlands, with large populations in the Semien Mountains. Theropithecus is derived from the Greek root words for "beast-ape." Like its close relatives the baboons (genus Papio), it is largely terrestrial, spending much of its time foraging in grasslands. Since 1979 it has been customary to place the Gelada in its own particular genus (Theropithecus), though some genetic research suggests that this monkey should, in fact, be grouped with its papionine kin; other researchers have classified this species even farther distant from Papio.While Theropithecus gelada is the only living species of its genus, at least two separate larger species are known from the fossil record: T. brumpti and T. oswaldi, formerly classified under the generic name of Simopithecus. Theropithecus, while restricted at present to Ethiopia, is also known from fossil specimens found in Africa and the Mediterranean into Asia, including South Africa, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Algeria, Morocco, Spain, and India.

Photo: A male Gelada