mandrill

Mandrill
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Family:	Cercopithecidae
Genus:	Mandrillus
Species:	M. sphinx
Binomial name
Mandrillus sphinx (Linnaeus, 1758)
Distribution of the Mandrill in Africa

The Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx,) is a primate of the Cercopithecidae (Old-world monkeys) family, closely related to the baboons and even more closely to the Drill. Both the Mandrill and the Drill were once classified as baboons in genus Papio, but recent research has determined that they should be separated into their own genus, Mandrillus. The Mandrill is the world's largest species of monkey.

Description

The Mandrill is recognized by its olive-colored fur and the colorful face and rump of males, a coloration that grows stronger with sexual maturity; females have duller colors. This coloration becomes more pronounced as the monkey becomes excited and is likely to be an example of sexual selection. The coloration on the rump is thought to enhance visibility in the thick vegetation of the rainforest and aids in group movement.

Males average 25-30 kg (55-60 lbs), females about half as much (11.5-13.6 kg, or 25-30 lbs). Unusually large males can weigh 50 kg (110 lbs).^[2] The average male is 81 cm (32 in) and the female is 56 cm (22 in), with the tail adding another 5-8 cm (2-3 in).^[3] They can survive up to 31 years in captivity. Females reach sexual maturity at about 3.5 years.

Habitat

The Mandrill is found in the tropical rainforests and occasionally woodlands of southern Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Congo. Its distribution is bounded by the Sanaga River to the north and the Ogooué and Ivindo rivers to the east. Recent research suggests that mandrill populations north and south of the Ogooué river are so genetically different as to be separate subspecies.

Behavior

Mandrills are social creatures and live in large groups, primarily including females and young and led by a single dominant male. Most adult males are solitary. It is difficult to accurately estimate group size in the forest, but filming a group crossing a gap between two forest patches or crossing a road is a reliable way of estimating group size. The largest group verifiably observed in this way contained over 1300 individuals, in Lopé National Park, Gabon - the largest aggregation of non-human primates ever recorded [1].

The Mandrill is an omnivore and acquires its food by foraging (mainly plants, insects and smaller animals) from the ground as it is terrestrial. Although the Mandrill does not normally hunt larger prey, males have been observed to hunt and consume duiker (a small antelope).

Its main natural predators are leopards, pythons and humans. Mandrills are hunted for food throughout their range, either with guns or using dogs and nets. In Cameroon, habitat loss to agriculture is also a threat.

A large group of mandrills can cause significant damage to crops in a very short time, and where common they are widely perceived as pests, especially in places such as India.

Reproduction

Mandrill at Singapore Zoo

The gestation (pregnancy) time for the Mandrill is 6–7 months and young are usually born between January and April. However, the mandrill mates throughout the year during the estrous cycle, which occurs once every 33 days. The interbirth interval is typically 13-14 months.

Courtship

Canadian Researcher William Sommers has found that during courtship, the female will walk after the male. If the male is interested he will stop and turn towards her. He will then mount her and they will copulate.

Parenting

Mandrill infants are born with their eyes open and with fur. They have a black coat and pink skin for the first two months. They cling to their mother's belly immediately and can support their own weight. Mothers form bonds with their children. These bonds last into adulthood with the daughters, while the bonds with the sons last only until his sexual maturity. These bonds entail the two sitting with each other and grooming each other.

In popular culture

• Rafiki from The Lion King is a mandrill monkey.

• In the drugs episode of the British mockumentary Brass Eye, satirist Chris Morris, explained that "it's legal to buy and sell drugs, if you do it through a mandrill."

• Spark Mandrill from Mega Man X is, of course, a mandrill (with a strong aversion towards ice).

References

• Groves, C. (2005). Wilson, D. E., & Reeder, D. M.. ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 165. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3. 

• Nowak, Ronald M (1999). Walker's Primates of the World, 151-152. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-6251-5.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mandrillus

Wikispecies has information related to: Mandrill

• ARKive - images and movies of the mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx)