They have large impressive canines, their main weapons of defence and offence. Yellow baboons have been observed hunting down hares and digging out burrowing mammals. The chacma and olive baboon gorges on grasshoppers and scale insects when there are infestations of these insects, ignoring all other food. Olive baboons also hunt hares and larger mammals like vervet monkeys and infant gazelles. Those living on the coast may hunt molluscs, crabs and other marine life.
Baboons are active during the day.
Their limbs are well adapted to running fast on all fours in a rocking horse gallop. They walk in an awkward swaggering manner. Although baboons spend most of their time foraging on the ground, they all retire in trees or high up on steep-sided cliffs to sleep, safe from predators like the leopard. So they can also climb well. In fact, the availability of safe sleeping sites is the limiting factor to troop size.