Odontometric variation among local populations of Kenyan olive baboons

This is a first report on a survey of local variations in genetic marker frequencies and morphometric features on Kenyan olive baboons. Data on dental casts of the upper dentitions of 207 baboons (115 males and 92 females) are analyzed with univariate and multivariate techniques. The materials represent 18 troops captured at 4 different localities. In general, levels of variability within and between localities are not great. The most marked variations present are in the premolar teeth. Females show greater variation than males. There are suggestive correlations between morphometric distance and geographic distance (positive) and morphometric distance and altitude difference (negative). There are some differences between this olive baboon sample and that of Swindler, McCoy & Hornbeck (1967) which lies close to a zone of olive-yellow baboon hybridization (Maples, 1972).