The hamadryas also differs from other baboons in its social behaviour. Instead of maintaining a large cohesive troop, hamadryas split during the day into groups consisting of a single male and his “harem” of up to six (or more) females. Each male herds his females strictly—chasing them, rounding them up, and, if necessary, biting them on the nape of the neck; he supposedly mates only with the females of his own group. The remaining males form bachelor bands. Sometimes a male will join another male's group and act as follower or apprentice, eventually taking over from the lead male. Other males will attempt to kidnap juvenile females and thus start their own new group. The male-led groups and bachelor bands come back together in the evening on cliffs, where they join together to sleep in herds numbering up to several hundred.

The hamadryas was sacred to Thoth, the ancient Egyptian god of learning. Many mummified bodies of these baboons have been unearthed, and the hamadryas is said to have been trained by the Egyptians to perform many tasks.