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African Pavilion
Step inside this large exhibit for an African tropical plant walk. Staghorn ferns, coffee plants, cola trees, queen sago palms, banana trees, tamarind trees and date palms are but a few of the many exotic plants you will see in this exhibit. Along the way, marvel at the huge pythons and the playful patas monkeys. A large and very active baboon troop is also found at the Pavilion exhibit.
Hamadryas Baboon
The NC Zoo has one of the largest troops of baboons in the United States. This dynamic group has three male units, each with their harem of females and young. The males are easy to spot with their heavy white mane, and they are much larger than the females. Baboons spend much of their time grooming each other, searching through each other's fur for dirt, bugs and parasites. This behavior helps the animals stay clean and healthy, but it has an even more important role in their social lives. Social grooming reduces tension and it seems to satisfy the animals' need to touch one another. It may also serve to strengthen ties between group members.