Skip to content

Chacma baboons deposited more seeds in the dry season, and seedlings emerged from defecated seeds

Chacma baboon eating marula fruit in Kruger National Park, South Africa
Research · Ecology

A study published in 2026 showed that chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) deposited large numbers of intact seeds in their scats in a semi-arid South African landscape, with both the quantity and composition changing between wet and dry seasons. This form of seed dispersal is called endozoochory: seeds are eaten and later deposited in faeces.

Researchers followed one habituated baboon troop in Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve in Gauteng for a year, from May 2012 to April 2013. The troop contained 38 animals at the start of the study and increased to 46 after births. Ten fresh scats were collected on each observation day, giving 240 samples in total — 120 from the dry season and 120 from the wet season.

Dry-season scats contained more seeds and more seed taxa

The researchers recovered 23,132 seeds representing 22 seed taxa. Dry-season scats contained more seeds on average than wet-season scats, with about 109 seeds per scat compared with about 84. The number of seed taxa represented per sample was also higher in the dry season.

Fruit and seeds formed the dominant dietary component in both seasons, but the rest of the diet changed with season. During the wet season, grasses, leaves, pods and invertebrates contributed more strongly. Scorpion and orthopteran remains were among the invertebrate items recorded in wet-season scats.

The seed assemblage also changed through the year. In the dry season, frequently recorded plants included mountain karee (Searsia leptodictya), white stinkwood (Celtis africana), wild olive (Olea europaea subsp. africana) and cross-berry (Grewia occidentalis). These seasonal differences show that the baboons deposited different combinations and quantities of seeds as available foods changed.

Seeds from the scats still produced seedlings

To test whether seeds recovered from the scats could still produce plants, the researchers sowed mixed seed material under greenhouse conditions. Seedlings emerged from seven taxa represented in dry-season scats and five taxa from wet-season scats. Herbaceous plants dominated the emergence records, particularly Oxalis corniculata and Chamaesyce prostrata.

The greenhouse test did not measure whether digestion improved germination

The authors are careful about what the greenhouse test demonstrates. Because the recovered seeds were sown as mixed assemblages and no untreated control seeds were included, the experiment measures the emergence potential of seeds after they had been defecated. It does not quantify germination success for each species or show whether passage through a baboon’s digestive tract increased germination.

The scat counts and greenhouse emergence show that chacma baboons can deposit large numbers of potentially viable seeds across the landscape. The authors identify this as an ecologically important seed-dispersal role in savanna and grassland systems, with the strength and composition of that role changing seasonally.

Sources and image credit

  1. Malatji, M. B., & Nkosi, S. E. (2026). From scat to seedling: Seasonal variation in seed deposition and emergence by chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) in a semi-arid South African savanna. BMC Zoology, 11, 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40850-026-00267-1

Image: Bernard DUPONT — chacma baboon eating marula fruit in Kruger National Park, South Africa; representative feeding image. Source: Wikimedia Commons. · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

Ecology

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Chacma Baboon Papio ursinus Explore species

Independent research and conservation news archive

Did you find this information useful?

Wildlife Vagabond is independently built and maintained. Voluntary support helps cover source verification, hosting and continued work on research and conservation news.

Support Wildlife Vagabond

The news archive will remain freely available.