Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 125, May 2015, pp. 19-37. | Page 7

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will prevent infants and juveniles from interacting with infants and juveniles
from other bands. Bands may fight with one another over food, etc., and the
adult male leaders of the units are usually the combatants. Bands also contain
solitary males that are not harem leaders or followers and move freely within the
band. Several bands may come together to form a troop. Several bands in a troop
also often share a cliff-face where they sleep (Wikipedia; Khalaf, August 2014).

Arabian Baboon (Papio hamadryas makkah, Khalaf 2015) eating a banana on Jabal Al Noor
in Makkah Al Mukarramah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Photo by: Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman
Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa. 08.04.2012.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/12065490546/

Group Behaviour
The hamadryas baboon is unusual among baboon and macaque species in that
its society is strictly patriarchal. The males limit the movements of the females,
herding them with visual threats and grabbing or biting any that wander too far
away. Males will sometimes raid harems for females, resulting in aggressive
fights. Many males succeed in taking a female from another's harem, called a
"takeover". Visual threats are usually accompanied by these aggressive fights.
This would include a quick flashing of the eyelids accompanied by a yawn to
show off the teeth. As in many species, infant baboons are taken by the males as
hostages during fights. However, males within the same clan tend to be related
and respect the social bonds of their kin. In addition, females demonstrate
definite preferences for certain males, and rival males heed these preferences.
The less a female favors her harem males, the more likely she will be successfully
taken by a rival. Young males, often "follower" males, may start their own
harems by maneuvering immature females into following them. The male may
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 125 – May 2015