Mandrill Mandrillus sphinx
Second only to the great apes, the mandrill is the largest monkey in the world.
It is also sometimes known as the ‘woudduivel’ (literally: forest devil).
The mandrill in a nutshell
- eats
- tubers, roots, as well as small mammals, insects
- inhabits
- tropical rainforests of West Africa
- excels at
- living in groups
Striking appearance
Mandrills are adorned front and rear with bright blue and red colours. Its snout is mask-like, with light blue, indented stripes, a bright red nose and lips, and a greyish-white to yellowish beard. This has earned the mandrill the nickname of ‘forest devil’. The bright colours function to impress females and deter enemies.
Social animal
Mandrills live in groups of about 20 animals consisting mainly of females. The group is led by a single dominant male, who is also the only one allowed to mate with the females. Mandrills spend the day searching for food on the forest floor, and at night they climb high up into the trees for safety.
Endangered
The mandrill is endangered due to hunting by local people who eat them as ‘bushmeat’. For many people, bushmeat is the only available free source of protein. Other animals hunted for this purpose are the gorilla, chimpanzee and elephant.
The mandrill has been adopted by Marina de Wilgenhoek B.V., Peutz, ChipSoft and MAAS.