Mandrills are bright, colourful and… unique.
- Mandrills are the largest extant species of monkey, and are native to regions of western Africa, in mostly forest habitats.
- Mandrills have the scientific name Mandrillus sphinx, and are from the family Cercopithecidae, the family of Old World monkeys.
- A mandrill has a dark coloured fur coat, white underbelly, red and blue face and a brightly multi-coloured backside.
- Mandrills typically grow to be 55 to 95 centimetres (22 to 37 inches) in length and weigh 10 to 37 kilograms (22 to 82 pounds).
- A mandrill’s diet mainly consists of vegetation such as fruit, bark, leaves and twigs; invertebrates including insects, spiders and snails, as well as frogs, birds, rodents and eggs.
Mandrill
Image courtesy of Heather Paul/Flickr
- Mandrills are preyed on by leopards, as well as the occasional crown eagle and python, and they have a typical lifespan of 20 years, although it can range up to 31 years in captivity.
- Mandrills live in troops of up to 1,300 individuals, but typically this number is closer to 600, often with a dominant male, although males often live alone.
- Female mandrills generally give birth to a single young approximately every two years; and the mother generally takes care of the baby.
- Mandrills can make various noises including grunts, roars, screeches and crow-like sounds.
- Due to the illegal removal of forest habitats and the killing of the animal for bushmeat, mandrills are classified as a vulnerable species.
Bibliography:
Mandrill, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/mandrill/
Mandrill, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandrill
