This monkey with the bright war colors and large fangs (thumb-sized!) and up to 81 cm tall, is a mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx). Despite its ferocious appearance, it is a shy animal.

They live in groups of about 15-30 individuals, but this can even go up to about 300 individuals. In the past, when the species was not yet endangered, there were even groups of more than a thousand animals.
The groups consist mainly of females, which consist of several smaller harems. Each harem has a male. The male with the brightest colors is the dominant male, the boss. He is the father of all the young of the harem group, because he is the only one who is allowed to mate with the females. There are males that stay with the group constantly, but there are also those that are only there during the reproductive period.

During the day they sit on the ground of the rainforest looking for food. They eat all kinds of things. Plants, seeds and fruits, but a tasty insect or small mammal will also go in! While foraging for food, they keep in touch with each other by producing various grunting sounds. If the boss of the group starts moaning, it’s time to go. They then climb into the trees to find a place to sleep, safe from the predators on the ground.

The mandrill is not doing so well. They live in tropical rainforests in West-Central Africa. These forests are increasingly threatened by logging and with that the habitat of the Mandrill is shrinking. The monkeys are also hunted for their meat.

Fun fact: Mandrill is related to the Dril (Mandrillus leucophaeus). This one looks very similar to the Mandrill but lacks the characteristic colorful face of the Mandrill men. It is one of Africa’s most endangered monkey species.

---

–..– Facebook –..– Instagram –..– Adobe Portfolio –..– Photo albums –..– Nature blog –..–

---