Apologies again friends for this blog not really being a blog! I'll try to get some news up. The last 9 months have included sailing the Antarctic Seas to the remote island of South Georgia, tracking rare monkeys in southern India, filming wolves hunting bison in northern Canada and another sneaky visit to Morocco.

In the meantime, here's a link with a few recent adventures www.bbc.co.uk/expeditions/barrenlands

I'll be posting some more little stories to the BBC Out of the Wild website over the coming months. Stay tuned.

Happy adventures everyone!

Chadden

2008 update!

FROZEN PLANET

Okay, I confess, this blog has been long neglected! Since it was created in 2006 I've been busy. Travelling and film-making: Colombia, Japan, Pakistan, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Australia, Panama, Morocco, Peru, USA, France, Norway, Finland, and most recently Russia.

Lately:
you might have seen me dispensing pearls of wisdom in a PBS Nature Special 'What Women Want' (like I'm an expert in Black Magic!), which aired in the USA April 2008.

Going backwards:
2007 saw some adventures to one
of the remotest corners of the Amazon
(Peru & Columbia) to film rare monkeys and birds.

... spent the winter of 2006/07 deep in the Hindu Kush Himalaya on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border making a snow leopard film with the BBC. 'Snow Leopard: Beyond the Myth' just won 'Best of Festival' at the Missoula Wildlife Festival 2008!

2006 saw us neck deep in bat shit for the epic BBC/Discovery series 'Planet Earth'. Promised I've washed since then.


And 2008 brings me to my current gig as a Director on 'Frozen Planet'. A new BBC series aiming to be the ultimate portrayal of the Polar Regions. Polar bears and penguins here we come!

In fact, I just got back from the Russian Arctic where I was scuba diving under ice with beluga whales. About as much fun as you could ever have in iced water.

Look out for another update in ... hmmm .... 2012?!

Love and wishes,

Chadden

CV

To view his full CV as a Microsoft Word document please email chaddenhunter [at] gmail [dot] com

Chadden is currently full time with the BBC Natural History Unit, but always happy to help other individuals and productions if he can. He brings over 10 years experience in wildlife and natural history filmmaking, often in remote and challenging environments, and 15 years of biological studies and research. And knows a bit about a monkey or two.

SKILLS

Producer/Director
Series Producer for NGCI (Cliffhangers). Producer on Animal Planet series (Ms Adventure). Skilled Director on numerous challenging field based film projects. Organized complicated shoot logistics and responsible for staff and budgets of over $300,000. Dedicated to team success, able to handle responsibility, perform under pressure, think laterally, maintain morale, generate new ideas and see the ‘big picture’.

Camerawork

Directed and shot films shown on National Geographic Channel, Animal Planet and BBC. Shot footage on various formats and camera systems throughout Africa, Asia and the Americas. Still photography for BBC, National Geographic, ABC, newspaper and books. Camerawork includes HD (Vericams), Digi-beta, DVCAM, assistance to 35mm, time-lapse and Super 16mm cameras. Experience with Cable- and track dollys, jib arms, camera traps, remote cameras and aerials.

Wildlife Biologist / Scientific Consultant
World expert on Gelada Baboons (Theropithecus gelada). Rigorous scientist with a PhD in sexual selection and animal behavior. Able to self-motivate and maintain focus under extreme field conditions. Masters in bowerbird sexual selection. 4 years experience in marine biology, including extensive scuba diving research projects. Provided skilled insight into wildlife, history and anthropology for a range of professional media bodies. Flexible in adapting to a wide variety of audiences and media requirements.

Writer

Author of internationally published scientific papers, popular magazine articles, book chapters, documentary film scripts, web-site content and photo-captions. Able to write for TV, the Press or Academia in a wide range of voices and communicate complex ideas clearly to the layperson.

Presenter/Host
Host for National Geographic and BBC series, PBS Specials presenter of films for VOX channel, Germany and 60 Minutes. Natural and engaging presenter in the role of expert, adventurer or adaptable host. Comfortable in interviews on TV or radio, seminar speaking, following set scripts or ad-libbing. Can impart energy, humour or sincerity in getting a clear message across.

PROFRESSIONAL FILM EXPERIENCE

National Geographic Society
2006 - Hunter & Hunted: Kidnapped (NG Television & Film)
2005 - ‘Cliffhangers’ gelada baboons (NGCI 3 x 1hr)
2004 - Taboo (Series 3) NG Channel
2003 - Camera assistant to Michael Nichols (NGM Staff Photographer)
2002-2003 - http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
2001-2002 - ‘Kings of the Hill’ NG Magazine (Nov. 2002 issue)
2001 - Gelada ‘Explorer’ NGT & F pitch

BBC Natural History Unit
2008 - Frozen Planet (Director)
2007 - LIFE: Primates, Birds (Director)
2007 - Natural World – Snow Leopards: Beyond the Myth (Camera)
2006 - Planet Earth – Caves (Borneo)
2005 - Planet Earth – Mountains (Glaciers, Alps, Ethiopia)
2004 - Planet Earth – Deserts (Sahara)
2002-2003 - Nile: In Search of the Flood
2001-2002 - Life of Mammals (Sir David Attenborough)
2002 - ‘Cousins’ (Charlotte Uhlenbroek)
2001 - Wild Africa – Mountains & Coasts
1998 - Gelada Baboon Diaries

Other Film & Television Experience
2007 - PBS ‘Nature’ Special: What Women Want
2007 - 60 Minutes ‘Monkeys in the Mist'. Climate change in Africa
2006 - BBC Radio 4- Planet Earth Under Threat
2006 - ‘Ms Adventure’ Animal Planet/Discovery 13 x 1hr (Producer, writer)
2003 - Tierzeit, Prime-time VOX,
2003 - Ethiopian Television, Radio and newspapers Interview guest on TV talk shows, radio, newspapers and magazines as public figure promoting conservation causes within Ethiopia
1999 - Triumphs of Life, Green Umbrella, Discovery
1997 - Battles of Braveheart, Green Umbrella Productions

RELEVANT NON-MEDIA EXPERIENCE
1997-2001 - Resident Biological Expert Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
1997-2001 - Visiting Researcher Addis Ababa University, Biology Department. Supervisor of 3 Masters students
1993-1995 - Research Assistant to Coral Reef marine biology research projects involving scuba diving, Great Barrier Reef, QLD, Australia
1994-1995 - Teaching Assistant Tutor for undergraduate field and laboratory courses; zoology, botany, marine biology, ecology, parasitology, evolution
1992 - Researcher Marine Turtle Rookery, Mon Repot, QLD, Australia

PULICATIONS
2007 - International Primates Protection League: The Gelada Monkeys of Ethiopa
2006 - Planet Earth: The Future Chief contributor to chapters: ‘The Threat and the Threatened’, ‘Growing Population on a Limited earth’, ‘Wilderness and Climate Change’, Where has Environmentalism gone Wrong’.
2006 - Melbourne Age Magazine article ‘Expats’.
2000 - ‘Braveheart on the Edge’ BBC Wildlife Magazine, feature article. September issue.
1997 - Hunter & Dwyer. (1997). The value of objects to satin bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus)
Emu Journal of Ornithology 97(3) : 200-206.

EDUCATION
1996 – 2001- PhD. University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK. Thesis Title: ‘Ecological Determinants of Gelada Ranging Patterns (Theropithecus gelada)’
1994 – 1995 - Honors (First Class) University of Queensland, QLD, Australia. Thesis Title: ‘Behavioral Ecology of Satin Bowerbirds (Ptilonorynchus violaceus)’
1991 – 1993 - BSc. Zoology Department. University of Queensland, QLD, Australia

Miscellaneous
· Competent Amharic (Ethiopian) Language
· Advanced Open Water PADI Scuba Diver, Specialities: Dry-suit and Ice-Diver
· Full (clean) international Drivers License
· Knowledge of first aid, rope safety work, standard safety practices on boats, mountains, caves, glaciers
· Sponsored by Canon, Oakley, Mountain Hardware, Black Diamond
· 2005 Recipient Michael Brinkman fellowship endowment award from the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival http://www.jhfestival.org/

REFERENCES available upon request

ABOUT CHADDEN

Chadden was born in the Australian desert and grew up traveling the world. He went to school in the USA and Iran before returning to Australia and falling in love with the rainforests and Great Barrier Reef of Northern Queensland. After a Bachelor of Science in Zoology at the University of Queensland, he worked as a research scuba diver, then studied rainforest bowerbirds to gain a First Class honors degree in Behavioral Ecology. A keen interest in the social behavior of mammals lead him into the African wilderness looking for beasts with bigger brains.

Primates became the new passion as Chadden began his PhD based at the University of Liverpool in the UK. His subject was the gelada baboon and a long term field study lead to 3 years living with gelada in the remote Simien Mountains of northern Ethiopia. He survived a major war, armed bandits and brain parasites before Sir David Attenborough visited with a film crew. Since completing his PhD, Chadden has been a Scientific Consultant, Presenter and Producer on a number of major natural history films.


Chadden now focuses on media and conservation and maintains his passion for both Ethiopia and his beloved gelada. Recent projects include the National Geographic series Cliffhangers, about Chadden and his life with the monkeys, and work on the epic BBC series Planet Earth.

'CLIFFHANGERS', THE SERIES

Since first premiering in July 2005, National Geographic Channel International (NGCI) has broadcast Cliffhangers in all of it’s 164 markets around the world, including Canada, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. It has enjoyed repeated airings in many territories and has received glowing reviews from regional broadcasters and viewers alike. National Geographic considers Cliffhangers to be an unequivocal success and is currently in discussions to distribute the series within other televisions markets.

'Cliffhangers' is the story of an extraordinary 'love affair' between Australian wildlife biologist and a rare and engaging group of primates, the Gelada baboons. Chadden Hunter as spent the last seven years getting close the Gelada monkeys of Northern Ethiopia, high on a plateau in the spectacular volcanic landscape of the Simien Mountains. He as learned to walk their walk and talk their talk, and now, from his unique position as an honorary Gelada, takes us deeper into their world with three entertaining episodes:

Episode 1 – King of the Cliffs
Episode 2 – Girl Power
Episode 3 – Saving Bart

The Gelada, the only grass-eating primates in the world, form the largest groups with one of the most complex social systems of any primate. Living in sub-zero conditions at 14,000 feet, they have made their home on the sleeping cliffs - narrow ledges that drop away 5000 feet to gorges below. These precarious spots, barely wide enough for a single monkey, are essential for the survival, as countless predators prowl the plateau above.

With the help of the Gelada buddies he has made over the course of his studies, Chadden explains the complicated etiquette and meaning behind their behavior. He reveals a touch male society where ritualized violence and sudden confrontations are regular occurrences, as the males vie for the affection of the females, who themselves are not as cuddly as they first appear. He also explores the threat of predation, and the strong influences this has had on the behavior of the Gelada.

Chadden knows all there is to know about this unusual species, and shows us that, with fights, group takeovers and love affairs commonplace, the Gelada society is easily on par with any human soap opera.

Written & Produced: Chadden Hunter
Director/Camera: Paul Williams
Producer: Emily Barnett
Executive Producers: Nicholas Claxton for ORTV and Mark Reynolds for Granada International
(3 part series x 50 minutes)

GELADA BABOONS

“BRAVEHEART ON THE EDGE” by Chadden Hunter
Article written for BBC Wildlife Magazine (September 2000 issue)
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GELADA FACTS:
· Geladas (along with madrills) are commonly classified as baboons, though ‘baboon’ is not an official taxonomic class and is often considered to include only species within the Papio genus.
· Geladas have the most complex vocalisations of any old world monkey, with more than 30 distinct calls, half of which are purely social. The frequency range of their vocalisations almost exactly matches that of humans.
· Gelada ‘bands’ (groups of family units that forage together and share the Ivane home range) can number up to 300 individuals. Different ‘bands’ often join to form ‘herds’, sometimes numbering more than 800 – the largest regularly occurring groups of any non-human primate.
· Female geladas reach sexual maturity at four years of age and give birth at the relatively slow rate of one infant every two years. Adults live 15 to 20 years.
· The current world population of gelada is estimated to be between 100,000-200,000, but subpopulations are isolated, and the species is listed by the United States Endangered Species Act (USESA) as ‘Threatened’.
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Braveheart has a problem. He has seven ‘wives’ and none of them are happy.

While I sit and watch the females of his family (‘unit J4’) looking after the infants, finding food and defending their sisters, Braveheart is sprawled out on the grass, asleep. This type of behaviour might not be a problem for many other male primates, but Braveheart is a gelada baboon, a species whose matriarchal social system demands a higher level of domestic input from males.

Theropithecus gelada is an unusual relative of baboons (Papio spp.) and the only living species in its genus. Around three million years ago, Theropithecus was a very successful group of graminivorous (grass-eating) primates that inhabited most of Africa and included species weighing up to 90 kg. Perhaps their size – and food requirements - contributed to their downfall, as they tried to cope with climate change as climate change and increased competition from larger brained hominids and Papio baboons. Gelada are the last relict of that great dynasty and are restricted to remote pockets of the Ethiopian highlands between 1700 and 4200 metres – the only place where the grass and herb layer is rich enough to meet the gelada’s specialised dietary requirements.

The uniqueness of the gelada’s ecology is matched by one of the most complex social organisations of any non-human primate. Gelada mothers, daughters and sisters form close family units, choosing unrelated adult males to reproduce with. Family units are the basic building blocks of the social system and commonly consist of four to five adult females and their young, making Braveheart’s family of seven unusually large. But what the males lacks in social power, they make up for in looks.

A male gelada is a magnificent animal. His hands are covered in shiny black fur, like velvet gloves, and his black rounded muzzle and deep brow are more akin to an ape’s face than a baboon’s. The top lip is often curled back over the nose in a gesture of threat, revealing a pair of menacingly large canines. About twice the size of a female, the male sports an impressive mane of silky hair that shimmers in hues of gold and chocolate. This cape of hair is over 40 cm long and so fine that a slight breeze can lift it into delicate a wave. No occasion seems inappropriate for showing it off, as male geladas can often be seen galloping across the highlands with their mane bouncing majestically on the wind; chased by a gaggle of irate, screeching females. For while Braveheart might have the physical edge one on one, he is no match for the solidarity of a female alliance.

These fascinating little soap-operas are being played out in a scene I can only describe as awe-inspiring. Thanks to mass media in the 1980s, many people wrongly imagine Ethiopia to be covered in deserts and famine. While these do exist in some parts, most of the country is actually lush highlands, once covered in temperate forests, herbs and giant heather trees draped in lichen. Unfortunately, very little remains of the giant heather forests and the herb layer on which the gelada depend, and they must now compete with the livestock and cultivation of a burgeoning human population.

The highlands are dissected by enormous gorges, pinnacles and escarpments reminiscent of Grand Canyon or Monument Valley, from where waterfalls plummet 500 metres to the lowlands below. The gelada use these treacherously sheer cliffs as sleeping sites to avoid predators such as leopards, hyenas and jackals. And nowhere are the cliffs higher than where Braveheart lives, along the mighty Simien escarpment in northern Ethiopia. For the last three years I’ve been fortunate enough to be based in the Simien Mts National Park (a tragically mismanaged World Heritage Site) studying these extraordinary primates. While I barely have the courage to crawl up to edge of the Simien escarpment on my belly and dangle my nose over, these rock-climbing wizards casually tumble over at sunset, fighting and playing on the way - as if there wasn’t a one kilometre drop-off beneath them! Once each family has found a sleeping ledge, no wider than a monkeys bottom, they cling together and brave a night of howling winds and sub-zero temperatures. Sleet, thunder, hailstorms and thick fog for weeks on end are commonplace in the Simiens. Gelada truly are the Hard-Men of the money world. It’s usually around this time of evening, after a long day of field research on the geladas, that I stagger back through the freezing gale to my remote, 3500m high hut at and dream of becoming an accountant in a warm office.

In the morning the gelada clamber back up onto the plateau and relax into sunbathing and socialising. The family stays close together while social bonds are cemented. Chelsea grooming her sister Suzy grooming her daughter Katy, like a massage chain, while the infants wrestle and play King-of-the-Castle in a giant heather tree. The only member of this family who rates a sleep-in above family bonding is Braveheart. I’m beginning to think more of him as the Homer Simpson of the monkey world.

Throughout the morning families gradually come together and form herds that often number over 600. As if the scenery wasn’t spectacular enough, the sight of such a large primate congregation on an alpine meadow is astonishing (although I must admit it is a nightmare for research when you’re trying to find specific individuals!). But the similarity to herds of wildebeest on the open plains does not end there. Gelada are unique in being the only primate with a diet made up almost exclusively of grass. To survive on such a poor diet they possess massive molar teeth specialised for grinding the nutrients out of grass and must spend more time feeding than any other primate.

This has lead to another quirky gelada characteristic. While most primate species display their sexual state on their rear (e.g. the swollen pink bottoms of fertile female chimps), gelada spend so much of their time sitting in order to pluck grass that their sexual display has shifted to the chest. Both males and females have an hour-glass shaped patch of bare pink skin on their chest which changes colour and condition with fluctuations in hormone levels. Once a month, when females are in oestrus the patch becomes more radiant and the edges bubble like blisters. Particularly virile males, such as Braveheart with his seven “wives”, have chest patches of such deep red that one common name for the gelada is the bleeding heart monkey.

Another adaptation to such a specialised diet of grasses can be seen in the gelada’s hands. They have short strong digits with tough fingernails for digging, and exhibit the highest opposability (the ability to touch fingertips to thumb) of any non-human primate. This gives them the dexterity they need to pluck individual grass blades and seeds fast enough to survive on a high volume, low nutrient diet. Indeed, they often feed at a rate so fast I could only measure it using slowed down replays from a video recorder.

It’s no wonder that families often fight over particularly juicy patches of preferred herbs. On one such occasion I went to see what all the fuss was about and discovered the gelada were eating thyme. After taking a plant Sample for later nutritional analysis made the follow-up discovery that it did wonders for my bolognase sauce in camp.

Within each family the heirachy of females is normally well established. If Braveheart’s alpha female, Chelsea, wants the patch of grass her younger sister, Suzannah, is feeding on, Suzannah is quick to get out of the way. More serious fights over prime feeding patches are started by females in rival families where sisters will defend each other ferociously. Chelsea with her sisters and daughters holds a distinct advantage here as larger families usually come out on top. They will also expect their family male to come to their aid. During agonistic encounters between two family units, the two opposing family males, often having no idea what the squabble is about, come face to face and attempt some form of conflict resolution. You might be surprised, but the males in this species are actually pretty good at it. If the family male doesn’t help defend the females he can expect anything from domestic hell to loss of sexual privileges. Males toe the line.

Braveheart, however, is on shaky ground. Our research suggests that gelada males will struggle to remain “Lord of the Manor” when their families extend beyond about five females. When Chelsea ovulates so too does Suzannah and the other females in the family. But Braveheart has only so much sperm and grooming time to go around and Katy, ranked seventh among her sisterhood, often misses out. Add to this Braveheart’s recent lack of attentiveness and, if I wasn’t a scientist full of anthropomorphic paranoia, I could probably hear those gelada divorce papers shuffling in the background.

Now you may be wondering where Braveheart’s dissatisfied females can turn to find ‘more of a man’. Afterall, with family sex ratios averaging four or five females per male there must be some eligible bachelors out there somewhere. Enter the other type of unit in the gelada social system: the All Male Group. This is where the action really hots up.

These tightly knit all-male gangs average around nine bachelors each, but range in size from two to 30. The individuals within each all-male group also cover a wide range of ages and there is typically one dominant male. Within my study population, Ivan is a sub-adult 6 year old and the leader of an 11 strong all-male group named ‘The Sharks’. The Sharks are unrelated but socially cohesive, spending 24 hours a day together and displaying group defence and grooming alliances as strong as any family. They patrol the edges of the herd in the manner of their namesake, and have a clear view of the number of females and domestic turmoil surrounding each family male. The only thing more impressive than an adult male gelada is a dirty dozen of these brat-packers swaggering toward you. Although they have no access to females - yet - they are always on the look out for an opportunity to dethrone a family male and succeed him. While only the top-ranked bachelor is likely to make the upgrade to family male, they are united in their common goal as it enables each bachelor to move up a rung in the all male group heirachy.

An 11 to one ratio might seem overwhelming but no amount of swagger or group strength by the bachelors can force a take-over while the final decision remains with the females. How they make this decision isn’t clear but they are provided with information about the male’s physical prowess, and presumably genetic strength, when family males engage in ritualised aggressive encounters with the bachelors. These displays rarely escalate into violence but provide a structured stage for males to spar and show off. Something like a gelada sports arena for the whole herd to watch. Typically, a family male will walk from his family in the large herd, strut up to the peripheral bachelor group and provoke them into chasing him, on mass. The chase is a somewhat leisurely and stylised jog, always accompanied by dramatic yelps and often incorporating lavish jumps over creeks, dust and rocks being kicked up and branches being broken. As soon as one family male has strutted his stuff he will return to his (hopefully impressed) females and be replaced by another family male who will engage the bachelors in a similar chase. Females may demonstrate their support for their family male by screeching vocally at the bachelors, or by grooming him upon his return from the sportsfield.

The bachelors also provoke the family males by shadowing family units that show potential for take-over or fission. This is where Braveheart is proving an interesting case among my study animals. For the last few months both the bachelors and I have been monitoring Ivan’s fall from grace. His inattentiveness to grooming his females, negligence of the infants and lax support for family defence are all high crimes in the gelada court and domestic unrest is hidden from no-one.

‘The Sharks’ have targeted Braveheart’s family and his females have demonstrated their interest in the eligible talent on offer by not moving off. With little support from his females Braveheart is provoked into chases that, over a period of days, become less ritualised and more ferocious. Screaming and with their lips peeled back, Braveheart and Ivan clash jaws and lock canines. Ivan is aided by his gang and eventually their long struggle pays off when Chelsea and her sisters move towards him and present their rear. They have chosen. Ivan has acquired a harem of females and will now begin his domestic and reproductive careers.

Like all deposed gelada males, Braveheart can do nothing about the take-over. His acceptance is evident in his submissive and reconciliatory gestures towards Ivan. But unlike most species in which single males gain and lose harems of females, gelada are probably unique in that Braveheart will stay with the family as a ‘follower’. In this role he will never again be allowed sexual privileges, but will help Ivan and Chelsea defend the family. In return, Braveheart will be maximising his reproductive output by staying with the unit and protecting his offspring.

For now, things appear peaceful in family unit J4, as they tumble over the edge of the escarpment to their sleeping cliffs below. But Ivan will have little time to relax into his new role as Family male. For the gang of bachelors who groomed and supported him during his ascendancy are now the enemy, and ‘the Sharks’ have new prey in their sights.

SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

PUBLICATIONS

Planet Earth: The Future Chief contributor to chapters: ‘The Threat and the Threatened’, ‘Growing Population on a Limited earth’, ‘Wilderness and Climate Change’, Where has Environmentalism gone Wrong’ - 2006
Melbourne Age Magazine article ‘Expats’ - 2006
‘Braveheart on the Edge’ BBC Wildlife Magazine, feature article. September issue - 2000
Hunter & Dwyer. (1997). The value of objects to satin bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus)
Emu Journal of Ornithology 97(3) : 200-206. 1997

SCIENTIFIC EXPERIENCE

Resident Biological Expert, Simen Mountains National Park, Ethiopia - 1997-2000
Visiting Researcher, Addis Ababa University, Biology Department. Supervisor of 4 Masters students - 1997-2000
Research Assistant to several Coral Reef marine biology research projects involving scuba diving, Great Barrier Reef, QLD, Australia - 1993-1995
Teaching Assistant and Tutor for undergraduate field and laboratory courses; zoology, botany, marine biology, ecology, parasitology, evolution - 1994-1995
Volunteer Researcher, Marine Turtle Rookery, Mon Repot, QLD, Australia - 1992

PhD ABSTRACT

Ecological Determinants of Gelada Ranging Patterns (Theropithecus Gelada).

The foraging ecology of a band of gelada monkeys (Theropithecus gelada) was studied in the field at Sankaber, Ethiopia, for 14 months. The field site is at high altitude (3300m) and experiences severe variation in climatic and vegetational conditions across distinct wet and dry seasons and between different microhabitats. Gelada live in a complex fission/fusion social system and occupy a unique environmental niche as the world’s only graminivorous primate species. Research was directed towards examining the ecological parameters affecting the gelada’s group-level behavioural ecology. The nature and distribution of gelada food resources was found to be a more complex and influential selective force than previously acknowledged.

Gelada ranging behaviour varied in relation to spatial and temporal variation in food availability and specific small scale weather patterns, but not in relation to the distribution of sleeping sites, refuges or water sources. Group size and day journey length covaried significantly between seasons and months and the strength of the correlation between the two variables was determined by levels of food availability. The rate at which the main gelada study band underwent fission or fusion correlated to the degree in which food was patchily distributed but not direct levels of food availability. Distribution of food sources varied significantly between habitats as did levels of visibility. Gelada alarm and flight response rates were found to correlate more strongly to levels of visibility under 10 metres within each habitat than mean levels of visibility per se.Both males and females spent significantly more time feeding, (and feeding on subterranean food items specifically) in the dry season, resulting in a slightly higher mean daily calorific intake than in the wet season. It is suggested that the dry season does not represent a ‘nutritional bottleneck’ to the gelada as previously thought, but does constitute a period of increased energy requirements due to seasonal variation in lactation and thermoregulation demands.