Baboon vs. Gorilla

Difference between Baboon and Gorilla

People unfamiliar with wildlife often confuse many species that belong to the mammal family, particularly the baboon and the gorilla. Why is this? Simply because people do not recognize the differences and they automatically clump these two together and call them a type of monkey or ape. However, there are many differences between the two, such as the way that they look, their characteristics, where they live and their ability to learn.

Photo by Meneer Zjeroen	Photo by viralbus

Looks

Those who have seen a baboon and a gorilla can usually spot the significant differences between the looks of the two. Baboons have much longer noses, with what some say are red eyes, they also have much shorter hair on their bodies. Because of their resemblance to monkeys, they are often confused for these, though they are much bigger. Gorillas on the other hand are going to have flatter, rounder faces. They are also covered in thick, coarse hair that makes them appear to be huge. In addition, baboons are usually seen as a light, reddish brown color, while gorillas are often depicted with black fur.

Their Characteristics

There are several different factors that the gorilla and baboon are distinguished with. For starters, the baboon has a life span of around thirty years, they are also going to be about thirty three to eighty eight pounds with the ability to grow to around six feet tall. Gorillas on the other hand have a lifespan of about thirty five years, depending on the specific type of gorilla that it is. Gorillas can grow to upwards of four hundred pounds and to be around four to six feet tall.

Ability To Learn

Much research has been completed with respect to gorillas and baboons. Gorillas are often thought to be a closer kin to humankind than any other mammal that is out there, except for our genetic similarity to the rhesus monkey. Because of the extensive research work completed by scientists in the field and in controlled settings we know that gorillas have the ability to use sign language, depict pictures that are shown to them, and above all else can make simple sounds as humans would make. Research done with this has gone a long way to try to make the case that humans descended from gorillas. On the other hand, baboons are not given as much research simply because they do not seem to show the intellect needed for human talk. They do, however, utilize around ten different sounds to communicate with one another. So when it comes to showing their smarts, it seems that the gorilla has the baboon beat.

Summary

The baboon and the gorilla may all be a part of the mammal family and are often simply termed 'monkey' or ‘ape’. However, that is far from the truth, as these are two totally separate species coming from diverse environments.

• The baboon has a longer nose, with reddish eyes, as well as short reddish brown hair.
• The gorilla has a fatter and rounder face, with black hair.
• Baboons have a lifespan of 30 years.
• Gorillas have a lifespan of 35 years.
• Gorillas can weigh more than 400 pounds and spend most of their time on the forest floor.
• The baboon can weigh up to 100 pounds but they also live in trees.
• Gorillas are very intelligent and show progress to picking up human language, while baboons seem to only be able to or interested in communication with other baboons.