How did scientists in 2020 trace mummified baboons to Punt?

From oxygen and strontium in their bodies

How did hamadryas baboons get to Arabia?

They crossed from Africa on their own

They were always only in Arabia

Hamadryas baboon

Papio hamadryas

The hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas) is a large Old World monkey of the Horn of Africa and south-west Arabia, where it lives in dry, rocky country and sleeps on cliffs. Adult males wear a silver-grey cape and have a pink-red face and seat, while females weigh less than half as much and are olive-brown. Ancient Egyptians held it sacred to Thoth, the god of wisdom, and shipped baboons in from the faraway land of Punt.

Also known as Sacred baboon, Mantled baboon, Hamadryas

Hamadryas baboon abilities

2-part bark of adult males
Adult males give a loud two-part bark, the “wahoo”, aimed at leopards and other big cats, or at rival males.
- Everyone except adult males gives a shrill alarm bark when something sudden scares them.
- They also make rhythmic grunts and other, quieter calls.
- All 6 baboon species share the same basic kinds of call. They differ in how often and how strongly they use them.
Sources [1, 4, 15]
4 canines in a 32-tooth mouth
A huge yawn that shows off long canines is one of the hamadryas baboon’s threat signals.
- Males give tension yawns towards rivals or predators, with the canine teeth clearly on show.
- Not every yawn is a threat. In a zoo study of 28 hamadryas baboons and 602 yawns, most yawns were not aimed at anyone, and males yawned more than females.
- Yawns were catching there too: one baboon’s yawn could set off another’s.
- In baboons, the upper canines are kept sharp by rubbing against a lower tooth.
Sources [1, 2, 7, 8, 16]
31+ face and body signals
A hard stare and a flash of pale eyelids: this is how a baboon says “back off” without a fight.
- Researchers describe the eyelid flash in baboons as lowering the eyelids to show pale skin just above the eyes.
- It often comes with staring, head bobbing and raised hair. To a hamadryas baboon, staring is itself a threat.
- The friendly opposite is lip-smacking or teeth-chattering, which calms things down.
- Captive hamadryas baboons use at least 31 face and body signals, made with 15 facial muscles.
Sources [1, 2, 3, 5]
4 kinds of buried food
In dry country, the best food is often underground. Hamadryas baboons dig with their hands for tubers, roots, rhizomes and corms.
- Their digging probably helps to loosen and air the soil where they forage.
- In the hottest, driest months in Ethiopia, the baboons lived almost entirely on 4 plants: doum palm, an acacia, a sedge and a bulrush.
- They also eat grass and grass seeds, gum, flowers, fruit and insects.
Sources [1, 12]
2 plants eaten every month
At Filoha in Ethiopia, doum palms and an acacia were on the menu every single month of the year.
- Most hamadryas baboons rely on acacias. At Filoha they ate mostly palm fruit when it was ripe, and preferred acacia flowers to its leaves.
- Meat is a rare extra: there, a baboon was seen eating a small animal about once every 36 hours of watching.
- Near towns in Saudi Arabia, baboons that feed on rubbish and handouts need far less space.
Home range of GPS-collared males (median)
Wild areas8.79 km²
Near towns1.31 km²
Saudi Arabia. Rubbish dumps and handouts mean town baboons don’t need to roam far.
Sources [10, 12, 13, 14]
11 sleeping cliffs used by one band
Every evening, hamadryas baboons climb a steep cliff and sleep on its ledges, out of reach of leopards.
- In Ethiopia, a band of about 230 baboons usually reached its cliff by 18:00 and left by 07:00. GPS collars showed it used 11 different cliffs.
- At the cliff, small units gather into troops of several hundred baboons for the night.
- Where cliffs are missing they make do: one band sometimes slept in doum palms, and in Saudi Arabia some troops sleep in trees.
Sources [2, 10, 17, 18]
≈10 years to get the cape and pink seat
You can read a hamadryas baboon’s age and sex from its colours: a full-grown male has a silver cape, white cheeks and a pink-red face and seat.
- Babies are born black and turn olive-brown, like adult females, by about 6 months to a year.
- Young males look like females for years. Their cape, white cheeks and pink seat only appear once they reach full size, at about 10 years old.
- A full-grown male weighs about 21.5 kg, more than twice as much as a female at about 9.4 kg.
Sources [1, 2]

Tap a pin on the model or a part below.

≈10 years before a male grows his cape
- Adult males have a long, bushy, silver-grey cape of hair, the mantle, running from pale cheek “whiskers” over the shoulders and back.
- The cape only grows after a male reaches full size, at about 10 years old. Females never get one.
- Females in a unit groom their leader male a lot, especially his mantle, face and seat.
- In a threat display, baboons can raise their hair and shake their mantle to look bigger.
Sources [1, 2, 3]
15 facial muscles
- Baboons have a long, dog-like muzzle. In hamadryas baboons, the bare face of an adult male is pink to red.
- A study of the face found 15 facial muscles. The whole brow lifts as one.
- Captive hamadryas baboons use at least 31 different face and body signals to communicate.
Sources [1, 4, 5]
3 kinds of colour cell (Old World monkeys)
- To a hamadryas baboon, a long stare is a threat, not a friendly look.
- Baboons can lower their eyelids to flash the pale skin just above the eyes, a warning signal.
- Old World monkeys tested so far have three kinds of colour-sensing cone cell, like most people, so they see a full range of colours.
Sources [2, 3, 6]
32 teeth
- A baboon has 32 teeth, including 4 canines. Males have much bigger canines than females.
- In baboons, the upper canine rubs against a lower tooth as the jaw closes, which keeps its edge sharp.
- Like other Old World monkeys in their subfamily, hamadryas baboons have cheek pouches for storing food while they forage.
Sources [4, 5, 7, 8]
7 muscles around each ear
- Each ear is moved by 3 muscles outside the ear and 4 small ones on the ear itself.
- On a big male, the thick mantle can hide the ears completely.
Sources [5]
2 hairless sitting pads
- The seat has two hairless pads of thick, tough skin called ischial callosities. All Old World monkeys have them.
- The pads sit over two bony knobs of the hip bone.
- The skin around the pads is pink to red in both sexes. A male’s bright pink seat only develops once he is full grown.
Sources [1, 7, 9]
4 kinds of buried food dug up
- Hamadryas baboons use their hands to dig for tubers, roots, rhizomes and corms.
- Their digging probably helps to loosen and air the soil where they forage.
- Hands are also for grooming: picking through a friend’s fur is how baboons build relationships.
Sources [1, 2]
6.5–19.6 km walked in a day
- Hamadryas baboons walk on all fours across dry, open country, covering 6.5–19.6 km a day.
- In Saudi Arabia, a GPS-collared male once walked at least 20.6 km in a day.
- Males living off rubbish near towns walked less: a median of 2.16 km a day, against 3.33 km in wild areas.
Sources [1, 10]
38–61 cm tail length
- The tail is 38–61 cm long, and the head and body 61–76 cm.
- A skeleton study counted 20–21 bones in the tail.
- The tail is one easy way to tell a baboon is a monkey, not an ape.
Sources [1, 7, 11]
2 plants eaten every month
- In Ethiopia, doum palms and an acacia were the only plants eaten in every month of the year.
- In the hottest, driest months, the baboons lived almost entirely on just 4 kinds of plant.
- They eat insects too, especially when locusts swarm, and now and then a little meat.
Sources [12, 13, 14]

Real hamadryas baboons

Photos from Wikimedia Commons. Four of them can repaint the 3D model.

Adult maleSilver-grey cape, white cheek whiskers, pink-red face and seat. About 21.5 kg.Leads a one-male unit, or follows one as a “follower” maleAdult male with his silver cape, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Nick Shields, CC BY 2.0
Adult femaleOlive-brown with no cape, and about half a male’s weight at around 9.4 kg.Lives in a male’s unit; most move to a new unit only when another male takes overAdult female, Awash National Park, Ethiopia. Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0
JuvenileOlive-brown like an adult female. Young males keep this look until they are full grown at about 10 years.Plays, chases and grooms with others in the morningJuvenile male, Awash National Park, Ethiopia. Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mother with infantNewborns weigh 600–900 g and have a black coat, which turns olive-brown by about 6 months to a year.Clings to its mother’s fur and rides along as the troop movesMother carrying her baby, Awash National Park, Ethiopia. Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0
Grooming builds friendships, Saudi ArabiaPhoto: Nick Shields, CC BY 2.0
Adult maleSilver-grey cape, white cheek whiskers, pink-red face and seat. About 21.5 kg.Leads a one-male unit, or follows one as a “follower” maleA lone male, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Nick Shields, CC BY 2.0
Baboons between Afdera and Awash, EthiopiaPhoto: Ji-Elle, CC BY-SA 3.0
In the wild in SomaliaPhoto: Tony King, CC BY 4.0
Hellabrunn Zoo, Munich, GermanyPhoto: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0

Hamadryas baboon by the numbers

Measured by scientists and zoos, with comparisons you can picture.

Weight: ≈21.5 kg; adult males; females ≈9.4 kg; Male21.5 kgFemale9.4 kg; A male weighs more than twice as much as a female⁠[1, 2]
Head and body: 61–76 cm; plus a tail of 38–61 cm⁠[1]
Lifespan: ≈20 years; in the wild; about 31 in zoos, record 37.5⁠[2, 20]
Pregnancy: ≈172 days; about 5½ months, usually one baby⁠[1, 20]
Newborn: 600–900 g; born with a black coat⁠[1]
One-male unit: 2–23; baboons; on average about 7⁠[1]
Troop at the cliff: Several hundred; some troops near Saudi towns top 500⁠[2, 10]
Daily walk: 6.5–19.6 km; record by GPS: at least 20.6 km⁠[1, 10]
Home range: ≈75 km²; one Ethiopian band of about 230 baboons⁠[17]
Teeth: 32; including 4 canines⁠[7]

Hamadryas baboon myths and facts

Tap Myth or Fact for each claim, then check the answer.

0 of 8 answered

“Baboons are apes.”
“People carried hamadryas baboons to Arabia in ancient times.”
“Ancient Egyptians brought baboons by ship from a land called Punt.”
“Baboons were linked with an Egyptian god.”
“When a baboon yawns, it is always tired.”
“Feeding baboons is a kind way to help them.”
“Hamadryas babies are born black.”
“Each baboon troop has one king who bosses everyone.”

The hamadryas baboon’s four-level society

Scientists find layered societies like this mainly in three groups of primates: some baboons and geladas, some Asian leaf monkeys, and humans.

One-male unit
The basic family group: one leader male with 1–9 females and their young, 2–23 baboons in all. Females usually stay in a unit for years: a median of 40 months in one study.⁠[1, 19]
Leader male
Heads a unit and gets most of the grooming. Females mostly change units when another male takes over, not by choice.⁠[1, 19]
Follower male
A younger male who tags along with a unit. Leaders and their followers tend to be related through their mothers.⁠[1, 27]
Clan
A few units that stick together. At Filoha in Ethiopia, a band was split into two clans of 7–13 units each, and most takeovers happened inside a clan.⁠[1, 26, 19]
Band
Several clans that travel and forage together, about 200 baboons at Filoha. When food is scarce, a band breaks up into its clans or units.⁠[26, 28]
Troop
Bands that share a sleeping cliff at night, adding up to several hundred baboons.⁠[1, 2]

A day in the life of a hamadryas baboon

From cliff to water hole and back again, every single day.

Sunrise
Wake up on the cliff
The troop wakes on the cliff ledges. Young ones chase and play, and everyone grooms within their unit.⁠[2]
By 07:00
Head out
In Ethiopia, the band usually leaves its sleeping cliff by 07:00.⁠[17]
Morning
Choose the way
Leader males step off towards a water hole. Others seem to agree by stepping the same way, or “vote” for another by stepping elsewhere.⁠[1]
Late morning
Split up and forage
When food is scarce, the band spreads out in clans and one-male units. They dig for roots and corms and pick acacia flowers and palm fruit.⁠[28, 1, 13]
Afternoon
Water break
The troop meets up again to drink, especially in dry times. Groups are biggest at water and at the cliff, when baboons are most at risk.⁠[2]
All day
A long walk
Altogether, a day’s walk is 6.5–19.6 km.⁠[1]
By 18:00
Back to the cliff
The band usually reaches a sleeping cliff by 18:00. One Ethiopian band used 11 different cliffs.⁠[17]
Sunset
Groom and gather
Units join up into a troop of several hundred and groom again before bed.⁠[2]
Next morning
Safety in numbers
After a night when predators were heard, the band stays together longer before splitting up.⁠[28]

Hamadryas baboons in ancient Egypt

Baboons never lived wild in Egypt, yet they appear in Egyptian art over more than 3,000 years.

c. 3150–3100 BC
An early statuette
A baboon statuette from the time of King Narmer is one of the oldest baboon images.⁠[23]
c. 2480 BC
Ships to Punt
Carvings from King Sahure’s time show the earliest known trip to Punt to bring back monkeys.⁠[23]
c. 1473–1458 BC
Hatshepsut’s baboons
Temple carvings of Queen Hatshepsut show hamadryas baboons on ships returning from Punt.⁠[23]
1390–1353 BC
Giant statues
Amenhotep III set up several 35-tonne quartzite baboon statues at Hermopolis.⁠[24, 23]
Many centuries
Thoth’s animal
The baboon stood for Thoth, god of writing, wisdom and the moon, often shown seated with a moon disc on its head. Baboons with raised arms were shown greeting the rising sun.⁠[23, 24]
c. 800–540 BC
Valley of the Monkeys
At Gabbanat el-Qurud near Thebes, at least 36 baboons were kept and mummified. Their bones show they lived with too little sunlight and a poor diet.⁠[29, 24]
2020
Mummy chemistry
Oxygen and strontium in two older mummies matched a region covering today’s Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and parts of Somalia and Yemen: very likely Punt.⁠[23]
2023
Mummy DNA
DNA from a Valley of the Monkeys mummy matched hamadryas baboons living in Eritrea today, pointing to present-day Eritrea, and probably the port of Adulis, as a source.⁠[24]

Hamadryas baboon records

Superlatives and record holders, each checked against its source.

Most northerly baboon
Hijaz mountains
Hamadryas baboon
in Saudi Arabia: no other baboon lives as far north⁠[2, 10]
Only wild monkey of Arabia
1 species
Hamadryas baboon
the only native non-human primate of the Arabian Peninsula⁠[10, 22]
Only baboon outside Africa
130,000–12,000 years ago
Hamadryas baboon
when it crossed into Arabia⁠[21]
Rare kind of society
4 levels
Hamadryas baboon
unit, clan, band and troop, a set-up found mainly in 3 primate groups⁠[26, 30]
Biggest baboon statues
35 tonnes
Amenhotep III’s baboons, Hermopolis
each, carved from quartzite⁠[24, 23]
Longest life on record
37.5 years
A male in human care
about 20 years is usual in the wild⁠[20, 2]
Longest day’s walk
20.6 km
A GPS-collared male, Saudi Arabia
at least, in a single day⁠[10]

Hamadryas vs olive vs chacma baboon

There are 6 baboon species. The hamadryas stands out for its silver cape, pink face and unusual society.

Hamadryas baboon vs olive baboon vs chacma baboon
	Hamadryas baboon	Olive baboon	Chacma baboon
Scientific name⁠[11, 31, 8]	Papio hamadryas	Papio anubis	Papio ursinus
Where⁠[1, 31, 8]	Horn of Africa and south-west Arabia	The most widespread baboon, across much of Africa	Southern Africa
Adult male⁠[1, 31, 8]	≈21.5 kg	≈25 kg	26–31 kg
Adult female⁠[1, 31, 8]	≈9.4 kg	≈14 kg	≈15 kg
Male coat⁠[1, 31, 8]	Silver-grey cape	Olive-grey, mane on the front of the body	No mane, just longish hair on the nape
Face and seat skin⁠[1, 31, 8]	Pink to red	Dark grey to black	Purplish-black
Groups⁠[4]	One-male units inside clans, bands and troops	Groups of many males and females	Groups of many males and females
Who leaves home⁠[4]	Mostly females	Males	Males
IUCN Red List⁠[32, 33, 34]	Least Concern	Least Concern	Least Concern

Where hamadryas and olive baboons meet in Ethiopia’s Awash valley, they interbreed and produce hybrids.

Staying safe around hamadryas baboons

Baboons are strong, clever and have big canines. Watch them calmly from a distance and they will usually ignore you.

Never feed
not even a snack
Handouts and rubbish teach baboons to raid homes, cars and farms. 86% of residents surveyed in one Saudi region said feeding baboons is harmful.⁠[25, 10]
Keep away
give them space
Hamadryas baboons can become aggressive when people come close. Stay well back, and never try to touch one.⁠[2]
Don’t stare
a stare is a threat
To a baboon, a long stare is a challenge. Look away calmly and move off slowly.⁠[2]
Hide food
bags closed, bins shut
Food in view and open rubbish draw baboons in. Keep food packed away and rubbish secured.⁠[25, 10]
15 min
wash any bite or scratch
If an animal bites or scratches you, tell an adult, wash the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and see a doctor straight away.⁠[35]

Is the hamadryas baboon endangered?

No. It is widespread and, in parts of Saudi Arabia, increasing. The big challenge is living alongside people.

IUCN Red List

Least Concern (LC)

Widespread across the Horn of Africa and south-west Arabia, and zoo experts describe its numbers as stable. In Saudi Arabia, wild-area numbers rose from about 1,079 in 1989 to nearly 19,500 in 2025, and more than 24,000 more live around towns.⁠[32, 36, 2, 10]

IUCN Red List, assessed 2016 (published 2019).

Threats

Conflict with farmers3.84
Baboons sometimes take sheep and goats. Around Borena-Sayint National Park in northern Ethiopia, 300 households reported on average 3.84 livestock animals each attacked over 5 years.⁠[37]
Rubbish and handouts24,000+
In Saudi Arabia, more than 24,000 baboons now live around towns, feeding at dumps, farms and tourist spots. This brings damage, attacks and disease worries.⁠[10, 25]
Caught for research (in the past)
Hamadryas baboons were once collected in great numbers for medical research. Today they face only a few local threats.⁠[2]

What’s helping

Tolerant neighbours93.9%
In the Borena-Sayint survey, 93.9% of households had not killed baboons in revenge for lost livestock.⁠[37]
No feeding, better bins
Researchers recommend public education, careful waste management and non-lethal ways to keep baboons away.⁠[25]
Better herding
Community-based plans, better livestock care and joint monitoring with park staff can cut losses.⁠[37]
Tracking with GPS
GPS collars on Saudi baboons show how towns change their travels, which helps plan management.⁠[10]

Hamadryas cousins

Guinea baboonNear Threatened
The only baboon not listed as Least Concern. Like the hamadryas, its females rather than males tend to leave home, and its groups can gather in the hundreds.⁠[38, 4]
Olive baboonLeast Concern
The most widespread baboon. It meets and interbreeds with hamadryas baboons in Ethiopia.⁠[33, 31, 1]
Chacma baboonLeast Concern
The big baboon of southern Africa.⁠[34, 8]
GeladaLeast Concern
Not a true baboon, but a relative from Ethiopia’s highlands with a multi-level society too.⁠[39, 30]

Hamadryas baboon quiz

12 questions. Every answer is somewhere on this page.

Question 1 of 12Score 0

What is the silver-grey cape on an adult male called?

Hamadryas baboon field notes

Diet, food web, safety and badges from the Snappit field guide.

Diet & Feeding

Hamadryas baboons eat mostly plants: grass, seeds, roots, fruit and flowers. They also eat insects, and meat is a rare extra.

Primary Foods

grass blades
roots
fruits
insects
flowers
Foraging Method: Foraging

Ecological connections

LeopardEaten by
Leopards are stealthy hunters that can ambush baboons in trees or on the ground.
Verreaux's EagleEaten by
Eagles sometimes snatch young baboons from rocky ledges.
Umbrella thorn acaciaEats
Baboons consume the pods, leaves, and flowers of this drought-resistant tree.

Safety

Danger 3/5 · Moderate

Always observe baboons from a safe distance and never try to touch or feed them.

Traits

Collections

Mammals

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Cercopithecidae
Genus: Papio

Also known as

Sacred baboon · Mantled baboon · Hamadryas · Baboons

Sources for these hamadryas baboon facts

39 studies and references · checked Oct 16, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

How to identify Hamadryas baboon?

Compare ears, muzzle, tail, feet and coat markings. Size is hard to judge without something nearby for scale, and young mammals may not have adult coloring yet. Mammal Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

How long is Hamadryas baboon?

70-140 cm

How much does Hamadryas baboon weigh?

10-37 kg

How long does Hamadryas baboon live?

20-30 years

What does Hamadryas baboon eat?

Hamadryas baboons eat mostly plants: grass, seeds, roots, fruit and flowers. They also eat insects, and meat is a rare extra.

Where is Hamadryas baboon usually found?

Dry, rocky country: semi-desert, steppe and grassland with cliffs and rocky areas.

How many babies does Hamadryas baboon usually have?

1-2

Are hamadryas baboons dangerous?

They are strong, have big canines and can become aggressive when people come close or when they have learned to expect food. Watch from a distance, never feed them and don’t stare at them. If an animal bites or scratches you, tell an adult, wash the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and see a doctor.

What do hamadryas baboons eat?

Mostly plants: acacia flowers, seeds and leaves, doum palm fruit, grass, and roots, tubers and corms they dig up. They also eat insects, especially when locusts swarm, and now and then a small animal.

Why were baboons sacred in ancient Egypt?

The hamadryas baboon was the sacred animal of Thoth, the god of writing, wisdom and the moon. Baboons did not live wild in Egypt, so Egyptians imported them, first from the land of Punt and later from what is now Eritrea, probably through the port of Adulis. Many were mummified.

Where do hamadryas baboons live?

In dry, rocky semi-desert, steppe and grassland in the Horn of Africa (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia and eastern Sudan) and in the mountains of south-west Arabia. They are the only wild monkeys in Arabia.

Why do baboons have red bottoms?

Baboons sit on two hairless pads of tough skin called ischial callosities. In hamadryas baboons the skin around them is pink to red, and a male’s seat turns bright pink once he is full grown, at about 10 years.

What is a one-male unit?

It is the hamadryas baboon’s family group: one leader male with 1–9 females and their young. Several units form a clan, clans form a band, and bands share a sleeping cliff as a troop.

How long do hamadryas baboons live?

About 20 years in the wild and about 31 in zoos. The oldest on record, a male in human care, reached 37.5 years.

Is the hamadryas baboon endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern, and in Saudi Arabia numbers have grown fast. The main problem is conflict with people over crops, livestock and rubbish.