Mandrillus sphinx

SUBFAMILY

Cercopithecinae

TRIBE

Papionini

TAXONOMY

Mandrillus sphinx (Linnaeus, 1758), Bitye, Ja River, Cameroon. This is one of only two species in the genus Mandrillus.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

French: Mandrill; German: Mandrill; Spanish: Mandril.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Body fur is grizzled light brown dorsally and gray-white ventrally. There is pronounced sexual dimorphism in coloration of the face and rump, with males being more brightly colored than females. In males, the nose is bright red and flanked by blue, ridged paranasal bulges along with white whiskers. There is an orange-yellow beard in both sexes, larger in males. In males, the rump is also colored red and blue and the penis is bright red. The coloration of females is similar but less striking. Males also have much larger canine teeth than females. The tail is markedly reduced. There is also a striking degree of sexual di-morphism in body size, with males weighing more that twice as much as females. For females, head and body length: 22 in (54.5 cm); tail length: 3 in (7.5 cm). Body mass: 69 lb 11 oz (31.6 kg) for males and 28 lb 7 oz (12.9 kg) for females.

DISTRIBUTION

Confined to equatorial tropical rainforest of west Africa in southern Cameroon, Río Muni, Gabon, and Congo.

HABITAT

Primary and secondary evergreen tropical rainforest, gallery forest, and coastal forest.

BEHAVIOR

Diurnal and semi-arboreal, sleeping in trees at night. Move around in large multimale troops that may be aggregates of individual one-male groups; it has recently been claimed that males are solitary and occupy territories through which females and young move.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Primarily feeds on fruits and seeds. Also eats leaves, bark, stems, and some animal prey, including both invertebrates (e.g., ants and termites) and vertebrates.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Polygamous. Single births are typical. Females have small but prominent sexual swellings that are bright red when maximally swollen around the time of ovulation. Gestation period 175 days.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Listed as Vulnerable.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

Frequently hunted as a source of bushmeat.

Common name / Scientific name / Other common names	Physical characteristics	Habitat and behavior	Distribution	Diet	Conservation status
Gray-cheeked mangabey Cercocebus albigena	Dark pelage and long, ruffled tail. Gray cheeks, long limbs, and long tail. Average body mass 19.8–22 lb (9–10 kg) for males, 14.12–15.4 lb (6.4–7.0 kg) for females.	Found in swamp, flooded, and primary evergreen forests, as well as secondary forests with evergreen forests nearby. Species is arboreal, diurnal. Group size is 14 to 17 individuals. Social system is either single male or multi-male.	Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Uganda, and Zaire.	Fruits, mainly figs, and seeds, but also eats leaves, foliage, flowers, and animal prey (arthropods).	Not threatened
Sooty mangabey Cercocebus atys	Dark gray to black pelage, giving sooty or dirty color. Long limbs and tail. Average body mass 18.7 lb (8.5 kg).	Found mainly in primary and secondary forests and in flooded, dry, swamp, mangrove, and gallery forests. Species is arboreal and diurnal. Group size can consist of up to 95 individuals. Moves quadrupedally.	Sierra Leone to Ghana.	Mainly fruits and seeds, but also eats leaves, foliage, flowers, animal prey, and gum.	Lower Risk/Near Threatened
Agile mangabey Cercocebus galeritus Spanish: Mangabeye del Río Tana	Upperparts are golden brown with black, or dark brown with gold. Underparts are orange or whitish. Long limbs and long tail. Whorl or parting of hair on top of head. Average male body mass 22.5 lb (10.2 kg), female 11.9 lb (5.4 kg).	Found mainly in forests that are seasonally flooded, and will also live in open-canopied gallery forests and in areas near rivers. Species is arboreal and diurnal. Group size ranges from 7 to 36 individuals. Moves quadrupedally. Main core of group is adult female and offspring. Social system is led by single male or is multi-male.	Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Zaire.	Mainly fruits and seeds, but also eats leaves, foliage, flowers, animal prey, and gum.	Lower Risk/Near Threatened
Campbell's monkey Cercopithecus campbelli Spanish: Cercopiteco de Campbell	Coloration on upperparts ranges from greenish gray or black to greenish yellow or buff. Underparts are white or gray. Face is naked. Considerable color variation. Head and body length 12.8–27.6 in (32.5–70 cm), tail length 19.7–39.4 lb (50–100 cm).	Found in various habitats, including primary lowland rainforest, secondary forest, riverine forest, and drier woodland. Group size ranges from 8 to 13 individuals. Diurnal species that moves quadrupedally. Very territorial and there are two types of groups; ones with one male and a number of females, and male-only groups.	Gambia to Ghana.	Mainly fruits, leaves, and gums.	Not threatened
Diana monkey Cercopithecus diana Spanish: Cercopiteco diana	Pelage is black and surrounded by white beard. Large cheek pouches to carry food while foraging. Average male body mass 11 lb (5 kg), female 8.8 lb (4 kg).	Found mainly in primary and. secondary forests in upper canopy. Group size ranges from 14 to 50 individuals. Species is arboreal and diurnal. Moves quadrupedally. Species has unimale social structure.	Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.	Mainly and primarily fruits and seeds, but also eats leaves and arthropods.	Endangered

Common name / Scientific name / Other common names	Physical characteristics	Habitat and behavior	Distribution	Diet	Conservation status
Blue monkey Cercopithecus mitis Spanish: Cercopiteco azul	Blue, reddish brown, or grayish brown. Large cheeks. Average male body mass 15.2 lb (6.9 kg), female 9.3 lb (4.2 kg).	Found in a variety of habitats, but never very far away from a water source. Group size ranges from 10 to 40 individuals. Species is highly arboreal and diurnal. Moves quadrupedally. Uni-male social system with polygynous mating system.	Angola, Burundi, Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda,	Mainly fruits, but also seeds, arthropods, and leaves.	Not threatened
Black mangabey Lophocebus aterrimus German: Schopfmangaben	Coarse and glossy black hairs, long brown whiskers, high conical crest. Head and body length 15–35 in (38.2–88.8 cm), tail length 17.1–30.1 in (43.4–76.4 cm), weight 6.6– 26.5 lb (3–12 kg).	Found in primary and secondary forests, as well as flooded areas. Species is arboreal and diurnal. Group size ranges from 11 to 20 individuals. Moves quadrupedally. Females form linear hierarchy, main core of groups is females and offspring.	Central Zaire.	Mainly fruits and seeds, but also eats leaves, foliage, flowers, animal prey, and gum.	Lower Risk/Near Threatened
Toque macaque Macaca sinica French: Macaque couronné, macaque toque; Spanish: Macaca de Sri Lanka	Orange to red, female may have red face. Long limbs and long tail. Average male body mass 12.6 lb (5.7 kg), female 7.9 lb (3.6 kg).	Found in a variety of forest types, generally those that are located near water. This species does not live near humans. Average group size is 20.6 individuals. Species is diurnal, travels quadrupedally, has a multimale-multifemale social system. Less dominant individuals are forced to feed in areas with less food.	Sri Lanka.	Mainly fruits, but also eats flowers, insects, food from crops, and garbage.	Vulnerable
Drill Mandrillus leucophaeus Spanish: Dril	Olive-green, face and ears are black. Region around anus is colored red, which is more pronounced when excited. Swells exist on sides of nasal area. Infants born with light-colored face that darkens to black at 8 months of age. Average male body mass 44.1 lb (20 kg), female 27.6 lb (12.5 kg).	Found in mature primary forests that are lowland, riverine, or coastal. Sometimes also found in secondary forests. On Bioko Island, they can be found in altitudes from sea level to 3,940 ft (1,200 m). Group size ranges from 14 to 200 individuals. Species is diurnal, moves quadrupedally, and has a uni-male social system. Infanticide may occur in the wild.	Southeastern Nigeria; Cameroon, north of the Sanaga River and just south of it; and Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea.	Mostly fruits, but also insects, leaves, roots, ground plants, cultivated crops, snails, turtle eggs, and coconuts.	Endangered
Guinea baboon Papio papio	Coloration has red tone to it. Hindquarters lack hair and are red in color. Males have mantle of fur around head. Head and body length 20–45 in (50.8–114.3 cm), tail length 18–28 in (45.6– 71.1 cm).	Found in savanna, woodland, steppe, and gallery forests. Group size ranges from 40 to 200 individuals. Species has a multimale-multifemale social system, moves quadrupedally on the ground, is highly competitive (internally), and there is a matrilineal hierarchy.	Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.	Mainly fruits, but also flowers, roots, grasses, bark, twigs, sap, tubers, bulbs, mushrooms, lichens, aquatic plants, seeds, shoots, buds, invertebrates, and small vertebrates, such as gazelle.	Lower Risk/Near Threatened