MANDRILL

(Mandrillus, or Papio, sphinx), colourful Old World monkey, family Cercopithecidae, usually grouped with the related drill (q.v.) in the genus Mandrillus but sometimes placed with the baboons in the genus Papio. The mandrill is primarily terrestrial and inhabits the rain forests of equatorial Africa. It is stout-bodied and has a short tail, prominent brow ridges, and small, close-set, sunken eyes. The adult male has bare, coloured patches of skin on the face and buttocks: the cheeks are ribbed and bright blue to violet with scarlet on the bridge and end of the nose; and the buttock pads are pink to crimson, shading to bluish at the sides. The long body fur is olive to brown, and the small beard and the neck fur are yellow; the eyes are framed in black. The adult male is about 90 cm (3 feet) long including the tail stub and weighs about 19.5 kg (43 pounds). The female, also with bare face and buttocks, is duller in colour and considerably smaller. Mandrills feed on fruit, roots, insects, and small reptiles and amphibians. They are active on the ground during the day and retire to the trees at night. Mandrills live in troops headed by a dominant male and defend their territories from other troops. These primates are threatened by the deforestation of their habitat for agricultural and lumbering purposes.