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Gelada Monkeys

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Amongst the high mountain meadows and grasslands of the Ethiopian plateau stands one primate, the gelada — the “bleeding heart” monkey, named for its brilliant red chest. Geladas are the last of their kind, having outlived their extinct relatives by adopting an unusual lifestyle. Unlike their forest- and savannah-dwelling monkey cousins, geladas have carved out a high-altitude niche all to themselves, contently munching on highland grasses for sustenance.

Along with their adept mountaineering skills, geladas can typically be found in herds, clinging to cliffs in the morning, and resting on their cushion-like rumps that are ideally suited for sitting and grazing all day.

What makes them uniquely adapted to thriving in the thin airs of the plateau, 6,000–14,000 feet above sea level from their baboon cousins? And could these features have implications for human adaptation?

“Life at high altitude is very difficult. The air is colder and contains less oxygen,” said Noah Snyder-Mackler, assistant professor in Arizona State University's School of Life Sciences.

“Our team has studied geladas living in such extreme environments for over a decade, so we have a firsthand understanding of how challenging it can be to live at such heights over extended periods of time. Yet geladas have survived for much longer, making us wonder how exactly they have shifted their biology to adapt to their challenging environments.”

To crack open the molecular clues behind high-altitude adaptation, Snyder-Mackler and postdoctoral researcher Kenneth Chiou led a team to first assemble and sequence the gelada genome.

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20220328 Gelada Monkeys
Submitted image - not for use<br /> <br /> Amongst the high mountain meadows and grasslands of the Ethiopian plateau stands one primate, the gelada — the “bleeding heart” monkey, named for its brilliant red chest. Geladas are the last of their kind, having outlived their extinct relatives by adopting an unusual lifestyle. Unlike their forest- and savannah-dwelling monkey cousins, geladas have carved out a high-altitude niche all to themselves, contently munching on highland grasses for sustenance.<br /> <br /> Along with their adept mountaineering skills, geladas can typically be found in herds, clinging to cliffs in the morning, and resting on their cushion-like rumps that are ideally suited for sitting and grazing all day.<br /> <br /> What makes them uniquely adapted to thriving in the thin airs of the plateau, 6,000–14,000 feet above sea level from their baboon cousins? And could these features have implications for human adaptation?<br /> <br /> “Life at high altitude is very difficult. The air is colder and contains less oxygen,” said Noah Snyder-Mackler, assistant professor in Arizona State University's School of Life Sciences.<br /> <br /> “Our team has studied geladas living in such extreme environments for over a decade, so we have a firsthand understanding of how challenging it can be to live at such heights over extended periods of time. Yet geladas have survived for much longer, making us wonder how exactly they have shifted their biology to adapt to their challenging environments.”<br /> <br /> To crack open the molecular clues behind high-altitude adaptation, Snyder-Mackler and postdoctoral researcher Kenneth Chiou led a team to first assemble and sequence the gelada genome.