The largest and most colourful monkey in the world is also one of the most elusive, hidden in dense, remote Central African rainforests.
What are mandrills?
Mandrills are Old World monkeys related to baboons and drills.
What do mandrills look like?
Mandrills are world's most colourful monkeys with an unmistakable face.
With one of the most iconic faces in the primate world, mandrills have evolved a vivid mask. The skin colour and pattern permit males to display their social rank and status to other males and communicate their genetic healthiness to prospective female partners. In a society where physical fights can result in injury or death, having a bright, communicative face might just save your skin.
The rump and genitals of a dominant male sport a range of brilliant colours. The penis and anal region are bright red, the scrotum is pink, and buttocks and upper thighs are blue blending to purple. These colours are most vivid during the breeding season and again are linked to rank and testosterone levels.
You can't mistake a mandrill if you see one.
Where do mandrills live?
Mandrills inhabit a range spanning parts of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of the Congo. But it is thought that they survive in largest numbers in Gabon, where they live alongside forest elephants, chimps, western lowland gorillas and leopards.
How big are mandrills?
Mandrills fascinate scientists for several reasons – not least their extreme sexual dimorphism. Males can weigh over 30kg, nearly three times as much as females.
And whereas females are relatively demure, males sport radiantly colourful adornments, smell pungent and grow intimidating canines used in fighting other males
Are mandrills social?
Mandrills are also remarkable for the size of their social groups, known as hordes, which may comprise some 800 individuals – females and young at the core, with males on the periphery. But though they sometimes travel in vast numbers, they are hard to find and follow in the dense rainforest.
How do mandrills reproduce?
They also reproduce quickly: females aged four to twelve have one baby every two years. If an infant dies, which is common, the mother will bounce back and reproduce again the next year.
What do mandrills eat?
Mandrills have an eclectic diet – they love fruit and all kinds of insects, and could probably survive a decline in any single food item.
How long do mandrills live?
Mandrills live to around 20 years old in the wild
What are the greatest threats to mandrills?
The greatest threats to mandrills is commercial bushmeat hunting, followed by deforestation. Mandrill bushmeat commands high prices at Central African markets and hunters often use dogs to track the monkeys, trapping them in trees.
Hunting rainforest animals – from insects to great apes – for food has been a way of life in rural Central Africa for millennia, but in recent decades it has grown into an unsustainable industry. Logging roads provide access to the heart of the rainforest and allow hunters to transport their catches to cities, where large and rare animals such as mandrills sell for a premium.