Physical Characteristics
 Of all the primates in East Africa, the baboon is the one that most frequently interacts with humans. Like humans, baboons are the most adaptable of the ground-dwelling primates and live in a wide variety of environments. Intelligent and crafty, they can be agricultural pests and can cause havoc to crops, so they are treated as pests rather than wildlife if they are found outside gazetted parks.
Their are two most common baboons that can be found in East Africa; the olive baboon and the yellow baboon. The Olive baboon is larger and darker and is found in Uganda, west and central Kenya and northern Tanzania. The Yellow baboon is smaller, more slender and lighter in color, and  inhabits the southern and coastal parts of Kenya and Tanzania. Both types are "dog faced," but the Yellow baboon's nose curls up more than the olive's.

Habitat
Baboons are found in diverse and varied habitats and are extremely adaptable. The major requirements for any habitat seems to be the availability of water sources and safe sleeping places. Sleeping places can either be tall trees or cliff faces. When water is readily available, baboons drink every day or two, but they can survive for long periods by licking the night dew from their fur.
Habits/Behavior
Baboons usually start their day early and leave their sleeping places at around 7 or 8 in the morning. when they come down from their sleeping places, adults sit in small groups grooming each other while the the young ones play. Onward, they then form a tight unit that moves off in a column of two or three, walking until they begin feeding. Baboons feed as they move along, often traveling five or more miles a day foraging. They forage for about three hours in the morning, then rest from the heat of the day and forage again in late afternoon before returning to their sleeping places by around 6 p.m. They spend more time in mutual grooming before retiring. Grooming each other is a key way of forming bonds among baboons as well as keeping their fur clean and free of parasites.
A typical group size consists of 15 individuals which consists of seven to eight males and approximately twice as many females as their are young ones. The group sleeps, travel, feed and socialize together. These groups can be described as family units and form a close knit core of a troop, with a hierarchical ranking system that recognizes certain females as leaders. A troop's home perimeter is well-defined but does not appear to have any defined territorial borders. It often overlaps with the perimeter of other baboons, but the troops seem to avoid meeting one another.
When the males begin to mature, they leave their natal troops and move in and out of other troops. This causes frequent fights over dominance and access to females and food. The ranking of the males in theses troops constantly changes during this period. Males are accepted into new troops slowly, usually by developing "friendships" with different females around the periphery of a troop. They often help to defend a female and her offspring.
During the first month, an infant baboon stays in very close contact with its mother. The mother carries the infant under her belly as she travels, holding it with one hand. By the time the young baboon is 5 to 6 weeks old it rides on her back, hanging on fours; in a few months it rides jockey style, sitting upright. Between 4 and 6 months the young baboon begins to spend most of its time with other juveniles.
Diet
Baboons are opportunistic omnivores (meaning they feed on both vegetation and meat) and are selective feeders. Grass makes up over 80% of their diet, along with berries, seeds, pods, blossoms, leaves, roots, bark and sap from a variety of plants. Baboons also eat insects and small quantities of meat, such as fish, shellfish, hares, birds, velvet monkeys, and small antelopes.
Predators and Threats
The baboon's major predators are humans. Knowing that humans can easily kill or injure them when they are in trees, baboons usually escape through undergrowth. Males may confront other predators like leopards or cheetahs by forming a line and strutting in a threatening manner while baring their large canines and screaming. Baboons are fierce fighters, but a demonstration such as this can put the predator on the run.
Thought You Should Know
* 50 percent of adult males and females lack the male's ruff -long hairs around the neck- but otherwise they are similar in appearance.
* Baboons use over 30 vocalizations ranging from grunts to barks to screams to communicate. Non-vocal gestures include yawns, lip smacking and shoulder shrugging.