Once they're three months old, geladas ride their mothers jockey-style. Females have just four or five babies in a lifetime but invest a lot of time and energy taking care of them—it's a "quality, not quantity" strategy, says biologist Chadden Hunter, who has spent parts of the past six years with the animals in Ethiopia.
Hunter can't understand why this picture was selected for Final Edit. "It's a mundane shot," he complains—not a surprising reaction, given all the picturesque sex and violence in the gelada's behavioral repertoire. But there's something about the way the tails intertwine. Says Editor in Chief Bill Allen, "I hated to lose this shot of the wonderful bond that any parent knows."
