Mandrill

Mandrillus sphinx

(man-drill-us sfinks)

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It’s impossible to ignore the brilliant colors that adorn the mandrill’s face and rump. These colors aren’t there just to make them look good—they actually help these primates communicate with each other. For instance, patches of red and blue skin on their rump, chest, wrists, and ankles will grow brighter to signify excitement or submissiveness, or to show that they’re ready to mate.

They also express their emotions by opening their mouths, which lets other mandrills know they’re happy and feeling friendly. When they open their mouths even wider, showing off their 2-inch-long (4.5 cm) teeth in a gesture known as “yawning,” they’re letting potential threats know they’re angry.

Males and females of this species don’t look exactly the same. Males can grow up to 3 feet (90 cm) tall and weigh 110 pounds (50 kg), whereas the females are significantly smaller, about half the size of the males. Females are also much less colorful.

Where They Live

Mandrills are terrestrial, meaning they spend most of their time on the ground. They live in the forests and thick scrub of central west Africa, in areas around the Congo River, western Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. To keep themselves safe from predators, mandrills will climb into trees to sleep at night.

A group of these primates can be as large as fifty individuals. Usually, there’s only one male per group. His role is to protect the group from danger and mate with the females.

What They Eat

Mandrills eat all sorts of plants, insects, and small animals—roots, flowers, leaves, snails, worms, snakes, lizards, and more.

Conservation Status

Vulnerable

People in Africa hunt mandrills for their prized meat, and the monkey’s loud, distinctive calls make them easy to track down. Because of this, as well as the destruction of their habitat through logging and deforestation, mandrills have lost over 30 percent of their population since the 1990s. Humans must now protect these incredible primates to keep them from going extinct.

Fun Facts

• When mandrills are angry, they’ll ferociously hit the ground.
• Females in a group will help to raise babies that are not their own.
• They’ve been known to live as long as 46 years.
• Like humans, these primates have opposable thumbs, which they use to grip branches and climb trees.
• A group of mandrills is called a barrel or a wilderness.