Healthy baboon with no upper jaw or nose: an extreme case of adaptability in the Kibale National Park, Uganda

Abstract

We describe and document with digital images an adult female baboon (Papio anubis) from the Kibale National Park, Uganda, who was missing all but the basal part of her upper jaw and nose, i.e., no premaxilla and very little of the maxilla and nasal bones. She appeared otherwise healthy, well integrated into a social group, and apparently reproducing, based on the fact that she was grooming a juvenile who suckled from her and that she appeared to be pregnant. Her extreme deformity raises numerous questions and demonstrates the highly adaptable capabilities of wild baboons.