Gelada Bleeding-Heart Monkey — Simien Mountains

The Simien Mountains of northern Ethiopia host the world's only population of gelada — a cliff-dwelling primate whose bright red heart-shaped chest patch has given it the name 'bleeding heart monkey' — in aggregations of hundreds to thousands of animals grazing the high-altitude grass meadows at 3,000 to 4,000 metres in the most spectacular mountain scenery in Africa. Gelada are unique among primates in being almost entirely grass-eating, cropping the highland sward with rapid hand-over-hand movements that allow groups of 600 or more animals to graze side by side like some implausible vision of a primate Serengeti, while the males' elaborate chest patches, lion-like manes, and complex yawning threat displays create a behavioural theatre of considerable fascination. The Simien Mountains' dramatic escarpment — sheer drops of 1,000 metres from the plateau edge, the valleys below filled with morning cloud, and the distant summit of Ras Dashen at 4,550 metres visible above the gelada grazing grounds — creates one of Africa's most visually overwhelming wildlife settings. The gelada's complete indifference to humans who sit quietly among the troop creates an intimacy of observation possible with few wild primates — animals nursing infants, engaging in complex grooming politics, and play-fighting literally within touching distance of observers sitting on the Simien meadow grass. The Ethiopian wolf, spotted hyena, and lammergeier vulture complete a highland wildlife assemblage of great diversity.