Raymond Vagell

Some of you might know me as Prancing Papio. That is because I used to work with captive hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas) and geladas (Theropithecus gelada) for my undergraduate research. I looked at grooming patterns in the context of kin selection theory and predicted that grooming in P. hamadryas and T. geladas can be explained by philopatry, dispersal, social system and bonding that are seen in wild populations. 

​

But guess what? Captive animals don't play by the rules of wild populations!

 

You can read more about my Undergraduate Honors Thesis here (downloadable PDF)