Hamadryas baboons are very social animals and live in large groups that have a clever layered structure. The smallest unit is a 'one-male unit' – one male and one to four females who travel and sleep together. Several of these units combine into a 'clan', several clans make up a 'band', and at night many bands gather on cliff faces to sleep – sometimes hundreds of baboons all on one rocky ledge.
The male's impressive silver mane makes him look much bigger than he actually is – a bit like a lion's mane. Males spend a lot of time grooming each other, which helps keep the group calm and friendly. Grooming in baboons is not just about cleaning fur; it is their way of making friends, saying sorry and keeping the peace.
Baboons are omnivores, which means they eat almost anything – grass, roots, seeds, insects, lizards and fruit. In Djibouti they forage across rocky hillsides and dry plains, covering several kilometres a day in search of food. They have cheek pouches that work like little lunchboxes, letting them stuff food in and carry it somewhere safer to eat.
The Hamadryas baboon was so important to ancient Egyptians that they associated it with the god of wisdom and writing, Thoth. Mummified baboons have even been found in Egyptian tombs. Scientists now know that the baboons in those tombs likely came from the Horn of Africa – possibly from the same region where Djibouti's baboons live today.