# Mandrill (*Mandrillus*)

Mandrills are colorful monkeys that live in the forests of Africa. They have bright blue and red faces and are known for their playful nature and strong social bonds with their families.

- **Category:** [Mammals](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/mammal)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate
- **Habitat:** Forests
- **Also known as:** Mandrill Monkey

![Mandrillus](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Mandril.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Malene Thyssen, CC BY 2.5 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mandril.jpg)

## Appearance

The Mandrillus has a striking face with deep grooves and a bright red stripe down its nose, flanked by blue ridges. Its rump is equally vibrant with shades of red, blue, and purple, and its body is covered in olive-green fur.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Primates
- **Family:** Cercopithecidae
- **Genus:** Mandrillus

## Mandrill, up close

The mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) is a big, ground-dwelling monkey from the rainforests of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of Congo. Adult males are the largest monkeys alive and among the most colourful mammals: a red stripe down the nose, swollen blue ridges on the cheeks, a golden beard and a blue-and-purple rump. Mandrills live in huge groups called hordes, which in Gabon average about 620 animals. Its only close cousin is the drill, which shares the genus Mandrillus.

Also called: Mandrillus sphinx.

A red-and-blue face, a rainbow rump, fangs as long as your finger and groups of hundreds. Spin it, tap it, then test yourself.

### Special abilities

- **Rank Colours** (4 of 4 new top males whose faces turned redder): A male mandrill’s red face shows his rank. When he becomes the top male his face and rear turn redder; if he loses the top spot, some of the red fades. [11][13][3]
  - Scientists followed two groups of mandrills living in big forest enclosures in Gabon. Four males rose to the top rank and four lost it.
  - New top males got higher testosterone, bigger testes, redder skin on the face and genitals, and a busier chest scent gland. The blue skin did not change.
  - Deposed males lost some of their red, but not all of their brightness.
  - Scientists think the colours work as a signal of rank that other males can read.
- **Rump Flash** (Blue + purple + red naked rump skin): A mandrill turns and shows its colourful bare rump. It is a signal: it can mean “I give in” or, from a female, “I am ready to mate”. [1][2][14][4]
  - The rump colours get stronger when a mandrill is excited.
  - The blue comes from the same trick as the blue face ridges: ordered collagen fibres in the skin, not pigment.
  - Females’ rumps are much duller, but a female’s bottom swells for about a week around the time she can become pregnant.
- **Horde Calls** (845 mandrills in the biggest horde counted at Lopé): Mandrills live in hordes of hundreds. To stay together in thick forest, they keep in touch with calls. [6][2][9][27]
  - In Lopé, Gabon, hordes filmed crossing roads and gaps averaged 620 mandrills, and one had 845. That is probably the largest stable group of any wild primate that is not fed by people.
  - Scientists have described about 11 kinds of mandrill call. The two-phase grunt, the roar and crowing carry over long distances.
  - Females give loud shrill screams that help the horde move together over hundreds of metres. When danger is spotted, the whole horde goes quiet.
  - A count of 1,350 was once made, but the scientist later thought it was probably two hordes that had met.
  - How many animals in one group?: Mandrill horde, biggest 845; Mandrill horde, average 620; Olive baboon troop, big 97
- **Fang Yawn** (≈4.5 cm upper canines in adult males): A big male opens his mouth wide and shows off his long canine teeth. A yawn like this can be a threat, not a sign of sleepiness. [15][2][1][3]
  - Adult male canines average about 4.5 cm, more than four times as long as a female’s.
  - In a long study, males fathered babies almost only while their canines were longer than about 3 cm, two thirds of the adult length.
  - Canines cannot regrow. As they wear down with age, a male’s breeding days come to an end.
  - A silent grin with bared teeth is different: it is usually a friendly signal.
- **Cheek Pouches** (50.7% of the Lopé diet was fruit): Mandrills stuff food into their large cheek pouches so they can eat it later, often after moving somewhere safer. [3][2][21][1][22][7]
  - In Lopé, fruit made up about half of the diet, followed by seeds. Leaves, pith, flowers and animal food made up the rest.
  - Animal food includes insects, snails and worms. In Cameroon, mandrills were once seen catching a young bay duiker, a small forest antelope.
  - When fruit is scarce in the dry season, mandrills eat more seeds, insects and leafy plants.
  - What mandrills ate in Lopé, Gabon (%): Fruit 50.7%; Seeds 26%; Leaves 8.2%; Pith 6.8%; Animal food 4.1%; Flowers 2.7%
- **Sniff Test** (25 wild mandrills watched for about 2½ years): Mandrills can smell when a group member has gut parasites, and they groom that animal less. It is a way to avoid catching worms. [16][17]
  - In southern Gabon, scientists found that wild mandrills avoided grooming group members infected with parasites spread through dung.
  - When the infected animals were given medicine and returned, they got groomed much more again.
  - Parasites change the smell of dung. In tests, mandrills sniffed and then kept away from dung of heavily infected animals.
  - Scientists call this “behavioural immunity”: staying healthy by choosing who to get close to.
- **Family Face** (Same father same face): Mandrill sisters with the same father look more alike than sisters with the same mother. Their faces may help them recognise family. [18]
  - Female mandrills grow up with sisters who share their mother and with half-sisters who share only their father.
  - Scientists trained a face-recognition computer program on photos of wild mandrills. The more closely two mandrills were related, the more alike their faces were.
  - Half-sisters from the same father looked more alike than half-sisters from the same mother, even though both are equally related.
  - Half-sisters from the same father also spent more time together than non-relatives, so they seem to recognise each other.
- **Do Not Disturb** (1 of 19 mandrill communities with this gesture; still debated): In one zoo community, mandrills cover their eyes with a hand, sometimes for more than 30 minutes. It may mean “do not disturb”. [19]
  - A scientist studied 19 mandrill communities in North America, Africa and Europe. Only one, a group of 23 mandrills, used this eye-covering gesture.
  - Old and young, males and females did it, often raising the elbow high in the air.
  - The habit lasted for at least a decade, even as animals died, left or were born. Group mates seemed to react to it differently, as if it meant “leave me alone”.
  - Because it is found in just one group, it might be a local tradition, but that is not proven.

### Body parts

- **Red nose stripe** (Redder after a male becomes top male) [11][2][3]
  - The red stripe down the nose and the red nose tip come from skin, not fur.
  - When four males in Gabon rose to the top of their groups, their faces turned redder and their testosterone went up. Males who lost the top spot lost some of their red.
  - So a male’s red face is like a badge that shows how high he ranks.
- **Blue cheek ridges** (Collagen fibres, not pigment, make the blue) [14][13]
  - The swollen ridges down the sides of a male’s snout are bright blue. That blue is not paint-like pigment: tiny, neatly lined-up collagen fibres in the skin bounce back blue light.
  - A study of 34 males found that the blue makes the red stand out more against each other and against green leaves.
  - The contrast between blue and red was the best clue to a male’s rank.
- **Canine teeth** (≈4.5 cm average upper canine in adult males) [15][2][9]
  - Adult males have upper canines about 4.5 cm long. Females’ are only about 1 cm.
  - Males fathered babies almost only while their canines were longer than about 3 cm. As the teeth wear down with age, a male’s chances of fathering young fade too.
  - Wild males fight hard: of 12 males caught and checked in Gabon, only one had undamaged teeth.
- **Cheek pouches** (2 pouches for carrying food) [3]
  - Mandrills have large cheek pouches. They can stuff food in fast and eat it later, sometimes after moving somewhere safer.
  - Tap the Cheek Pouches ability to see them bulge.
- **Golden beard** (Orange vs white mandrill beard vs drill beard) [2][3]
  - Mandrills have an orange to golden beard. Their cousin the drill has a white one.
  - Females and young mandrills have beards too, but their faces are much less colourful than an adult male’s.
- **Chest scent gland** (Both sexes rub it on things to scent-mark) [2][11]
  - Mandrills have a scent gland in the middle of the chest. Males and females rub it on branches and other objects to leave their smell.
  - New top males made more secretion from this gland; males who lost the top spot made less.
- **Rainbow rump** (Blue + purple + red on a male’s bare rump) [1][2][3][14]
  - A male’s bottom has no fur. The skin is blue to purple, with red and pink near the tail.
  - The colours get more intense when a mandrill is excited. Showing the rump can mean “I give in” or, in females, “I am ready to mate”.
  - Bright faces and rumps may also help mandrills keep track of each other in the dark forest.
- **Stubby tail** (5–10 cm tail length) [3][27]
  - A mandrill’s tail is only 5–10 cm long, and males have slightly longer tails than females.
  - An olive baboon of about the same weight has a tail around 50 cm long. A stubby tail is one way to tell the two apart.
- **Body size** (3.4 × a male’s weight compared with a female’s) [3][2][10][15]
  - The male mandrill is the largest living monkey. Adult males weigh about 32 kg, adult females about 12 kg.
  - In a big study of mandrills in Gabon, adult males weighed 3.4 times as much as adult females. That is one of the biggest size gaps between the sexes of any primate.
  - Females stop growing at about 7 years old; males keep growing until about 10.
- **Hands and feet** (2.5–15 km travelled in a day) [1][3][2]
  - Mandrills walk on all fours with their palms and soles on the ground.
  - Big males spend most of their time foraging on the forest floor. Females and young climb more and often feed in the trees.
  - A horde can travel 2.5–15 km in a day while searching for food.

### Stats

| Stat | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Male weight | ≈32 kg | 31.6–33 kg on average; one source reports up to 54 kg [2][1] |
| Female weight | ≈12 kg | 12–12.9 kg on average [2][20] |
| Male vs female | 3.4 × | body mass of adult males compared with females [10] |
| Male canines | ≈4.5 cm | females about 1 cm [2][15] |
| Tail | 5–10 cm | males’ a little longer [3] |
| Horde size | ≈620 | average at Lopé, Gabon; up to 845 [6] |
| Horde home range | 182 km² | used by a horde of about 700 over 6 years; More than half its time was spent in under a tenth of that area [8] |
| Pregnancy | ≈175 days | about 6 months, usually one baby [20][1] |
| Newborn | ≈0.9 kg | 890–906 g on average [2] |
| Lifespan | ≈40 years | in captivity; record for the genus 46 years [2][1] |

### Photos

- [Alpha male: red nose, ridged snout and a thick beard (La Vallée des Singes, France)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mandrillus_sphinx_(alpha_male).jpg) (photo: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0)
- [Blue ridges, red nose and a golden beard](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mandril.jpg) (photo: Malene Thyssen, CC BY 2.5)
- [The rainbow rump of a wild male in Gabon](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mandrillus_sphinx_339428130.jpg) (photo: Julien Renoult, CC BY 4.0)
- [A wide yawn shows off the long canines (Franklin Park Zoo, Boston)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mandrill_Yawn_1.jpg) (photo: Ryan E. Poplin, CC BY-SA 2.0)
- [A male’s skull: look at the size of those canines](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mandrilperspective6.jpg) (photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [Adult female: a dark face with dull blue ridges and no red](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mandrillus_sphinx_(eating).jpg) (photo: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0)
- [A female walking on all fours, with a youngster behind her. Note the stubby tail (Bronx Zoo)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mandrillus_sphinx_at_the_Bronx_Zoo_003.jpg) (photo: Postdlf, CC BY-SA 3.0)
- [A baby clings underneath an adult (ARTIS zoo, Amsterdam)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mandrill_July_2019-1.jpg) (photo: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [A young mandrill: dark face, no red yet (Ramat Gan Safari, Israel)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Young-Mandrill.jpg) (photo: TopHatRhino, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [The cousin: a male drill, with a black face (Limbe Wildlife Centre, Cameroon)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Male_Drill_(Mandrillus_leucophaeus)_(7609817756).jpg) (photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0)

### Questions

- **Is a mandrill a baboon?** Not quite. Mandrills were once grouped with baboons in the genus Papio, but they now have their own genus, Mandrillus, shared only with the drill. An easy clue: mandrills have a stubby tail of 5–10 cm, while an olive baboon’s tail is about 50 cm. [4][3][27]
- **Why are mandrills so colourful?** The colours are signals. A male’s red face gets redder when he becomes top male and fades if he loses that rank. The blue makes the red stand out, and the blue–red contrast is the best clue to rank. Females’ faces get brighter around the time they can become pregnant. [11][13][12]
- **Is the mandrill the biggest monkey?** Yes. The adult male mandrill is the largest living monkey, at about 32 kg. Females are much smaller, about 12 kg. Male drills weigh about the same as male mandrills. [3][2]
- **How big are mandrill groups?** Huge. In Lopé, Gabon, hordes averaged about 620 animals and the biggest had 845, probably the largest stable groups of any wild primate not fed by people. Adult males join only in the mating season. [6]
- **What do mandrills eat?** Mostly fruit and seeds, plus leaves, pith, flowers, insects and other small animals. They store food in large cheek pouches to eat later. [2][3][1]
- **Are mandrills dangerous?** They are wild animals with very long canines: about 4.5 cm in adult males. A wide yawn that shows those teeth can be a threat. Watch them from a safe distance and never try to touch one. [2][1]
- **What is the difference between a mandrill and a drill?** Both are in the genus Mandrillus. Male mandrills have a red-and-blue face and an orange beard; drills have a jet-black face, a red lower lip and a white beard. The Sanaga River in Cameroon separates them: mandrills to the south, drills to the north. [2][23]
- **Are mandrills endangered?** The IUCN Red List lists the mandrill as Vulnerable, mainly because of bushmeat hunting and forest loss. Its cousin the drill is Endangered. [5][3][25]

### Mandrill myths and facts

Tap Myth or Fact for each claim, then check the answer.

- "A mandrill is a kind of baboon." **Not quite!** Mandrills were once put in the baboon genus Papio. Today they have their own genus, Mandrillus, which they share only with the drill. [4][2]
- "Mandrill groups can have hundreds of members." **Fact!** Hordes in Lopé, Gabon, averaged about 620 mandrills, and one had 845. [6]
- "The blue on a mandrill’s face is coloured by pigment, like paint." **Myth!** The blue comes from tiny, neatly arranged collagen fibres in the skin that bounce back blue light. This is called structural colour. [14]
- "A male mandrill keeps his bright colours no matter what." **Myth!** A male who becomes top male turns redder. If he loses that rank, some of the red fades again. [11][3]
- "When a mandrill yawns, it is always sleepy." **Myth!** A big open-mouthed yawn that shows the long canines can be a threat display. [1]
- "Grown-up males live in the horde all year round." **Myth!** In Lopé, breeding males mostly live alone. They join the horde only when the females’ mating season starts, for about three months a year. [6][2][9]
- "Mandrills can smell when a group member has parasites." **Fact!** Parasites change the smell of dung, and mandrills groom infected group mates less. [16]
- "Female mandrills are just as colourful as males." **Myth!** Females are much duller. Their faces range from black to pink and get brighter around the time they can become pregnant. [12][2]

### Mandrill record breakers

Three ways the mandrill stands out among monkeys.

- Largest living monkey: Adult male mandrill, ≈32 kg (Adult male mandrills are the biggest monkeys alive. Male drills, their close cousins, weigh about the same.) [3][2]
- Biggest stable wild primate group: A mandrill horde in Lopé, Gabon, 845 (Probably the largest stable group of any wild primate not fed by people. Hordes there averaged about 620.) [6]
- Huge male–female gap: Adult male vs adult female mandrill, 3.4 × (Adult males weigh 3.4 times as much as females, one of the biggest differences between the sexes in any primate.) [10][15]

### A mandrill’s life

Females grow up fast; males take years longer to reach full size.

- **Birth**: A small, pink-faced baby. After a pregnancy of about 175 days, one baby weighing about 0.9 kg is born. In a Gabon colony, 61% of births came in January to March. [20][2]
- **About 2 months**: Baby hair goes. Babies start losing their baby hair at about two months old. [3]
- **4–8 months**: More independent. In one zoo study, a baby often left its mother by 4 months and was weaned at 8 months. [2]
- **About 4.7 years**: First baby. Females usually have their first baby at about 4.7 years, long before they are full grown. Top-ranking females start earlier. [20]
- **About 6 years**: Young males move out. Young males drift to the edge of the group and leave. [2]
- **7–10 years**: Full size. Females reach adult weight at about 7. Males have a big growth spurt and reach adult weight at about 10. [10]
- **Adult male**: A few short breeding years. Males breed mostly while their canines are long and sharp. In the wild they join the horde for about three months a year, in the mating season. [15][6]
- **Old age**: Up to about 40. In captivity, mandrills can live to about 40, and the record for the genus is 46 years. [2][1]

### Mandrill vs drill vs olive baboon

Three big, dog-faced monkeys that people often mix up.

| | Mandrill | Drill | Olive baboon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific name [2][27] | Mandrillus sphinx | Mandrillus leucophaeus | Papio anubis |
| Male face [2][27] | Red nose stripe, blue ridges, orange beard | Jet black with a red lower lip, white beard | Dark grey to black skin |
| Tail [3][23][27] | Stubby, 5–10 cm | Stubby, 5–8 cm | Long, about 50 cm |
| Adult male weight [2][27] | ≈32 kg | ≈32 kg | ≈25 kg |
| Where [2][24][27] | Cameroon south of the Sanaga River, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo | Nigeria, Cameroon north of the Sanaga River, Bioko Island | Across much of Africa south of the Sahara |
| Groups [6][2][27] | Hordes of hundreds (average about 620 at Lopé) | Groups of about 9 to 93; a few estimated at about 400 | Troops of 39–97 |
| IUCN Red List [5][25][27] | Vulnerable | Endangered | Least Concern |

The Sanaga River in Cameroon separates mandrills (south) from drills (north).

### Is the mandrill endangered?

It is listed as Vulnerable: at risk, but not yet endangered. Gabon holds the largest population.

- **IUCN Red List:** Vulnerable (VU) (Population decreasing). Mandrills need large areas of forest, and they are hunted heavily for bushmeat. Logging and forest clearing for farms also take away their homes. [5][3][8]
- IUCN Red List, Abernethy & Maisels (published 2019).
- **Threat: Bushmeat hunting**: Mandrills are hunted for meat, including for the commercial bushmeat trade, and sometimes for traditional medicine. [3][4]
- **Threat: Logging and farming**: Illegal logging and forest clearing for agriculture break up the forests mandrills depend on. [3][4]
- **Threat: Needs a lot of space** (182 km²): One horde of about 700 used 182 km² of land over 6 years, so protected areas must be big. [8]
- **Threat: Human diseases**: As settlements grow into the forest, diseases from people become more of a risk. [4]
- **Helping: Trade ban**: Mandrills are on CITES Appendix I, which bans international trade in them. [1][4]
- **Helping: Protected forests**: Lopé National Park in Gabon protects some of the biggest hordes known, and is where many of the horde studies were made. [6][8][9]
- **Helping: Long-term research**: Studies in Gabon, from radio-tracking wild hordes to decades of records on a semi-free colony, show what mandrills need. [8][20][16]
- **Drill** (EN): Rarer than the mandrill: about 4,000 mature drills on the mainland and about 600 on Bioko Island. Bioko drills in lowland forest eat about 90% fruit, but in mountain forest mostly pith, leaves and fungi. [25][24][26]
- **Olive baboon** (LC): A widespread look-alike with a long tail. [27]

### Who’s who

- **Adult male**: Red nose stripe, blue cheek ridges, golden beard, hair crest and a blue-purple rump. About 32 kg. (Full grown at about 10 years; the top male is usually the reddest) [2][3][10][11]
- **Adult female**: About 12 kg, a third of a male’s weight. Face black to pink with dull blue ridges; brighter around the time she can become pregnant. (First baby at about 4.7 years; full grown at about 7) [12][20][10][3]
- **Juvenile**: Dark face with a pinkish nose tip and an orange beard. Babies are born with a pink face. (Young males leave the horde’s centre at about 6 years) [2][3]
- **Drill (genus cousin)**: A separate species, Mandrillus leucophaeus: jet-black face, red lower lip, white beard and ruff. [2][23][24]

### Mandrill quiz

1. What is a big group of mandrills called? **A horde.** Mandrills live in hordes, which can hold hundreds of animals. [6]
2. How many mandrills were in the biggest horde counted at Lopé, Gabon? **845.** Hordes there averaged about 620, and the biggest had 845. [6]
3. What makes the blue colour on a mandrill’s face? **Neatly arranged collagen fibres in the skin.** It is structural colour: ordered collagen fibres reflect blue light. [14]
4. What happens to a male’s face when he becomes the top male? **It turns redder.** New top males get redder faces. Losing the top spot fades some of the red. [11]
5. About how much heavier is an adult male mandrill than a female? **3.4 times.** Adult males are 3.4 times the body mass of adult females. [10]
6. What are a mandrill’s cheek pouches for? **Storing food to eat later.** Mandrills stuff food into their pouches and eat it later, sometimes after moving somewhere safer. [3]
7. What was the main food of mandrills at Lopé? **Fruit.** Fruit made up about half of the diet, then seeds. [2][21]
8. How long are an adult male mandrill’s upper canines on average? **About 4.5 cm.** Males’ canines average about 4.5 cm; females’ are about 1 cm. [2][15]
9. Why do mandrills groom some group mates less? **They can smell that those animals have parasites.** Parasites change the smell of dung, and mandrills avoid grooming infected animals. [16]
10. Which mandrill sisters look most alike? **Sisters with the same father.** A face-recognition study found half-sisters from the same father look more alike than half-sisters from the same mother. [18]
11. Which river separates mandrills from drills? **The Sanaga.** Mandrills live south of the Sanaga River in Cameroon; drills live north of it. [2]
12. What colour is a drill’s face? **Jet black.** Drills have a jet-black face with a red lower lip and a white beard. [2][23]

### Sources (checked 2026-10-29)

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2. [Gron KJ (2009). Primate Factsheets: Drill (Mandrillus) taxonomy, morphology & ecology. Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (reviewed by J. Setchell).](https://primate.wisc.edu/primate-info-net/pin-factsheets/pin-factsheet-drill/)
3. [San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx). Animals & Plants.](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/mandrill)
4. [New England Primate Conservancy. Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx).](https://neprimateconservancy.org/mandrill)
5. [Abernethy K, Maisels F (2019). Mandrillus sphinx. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T12754A17952325.](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T12754A17952325.en)
6. [Abernethy KA, White LJT, Wickings EJ (2002). Hordes of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx): extreme group size and seasonal male presence. Journal of Zoology 258(1):131–137.](https://doi.org/10.1017/S0952836902001267)
7. [Rogers ME, Abernethy KA, Fontaine B, Wickings EJ, White LJT, Tutin CEG (1996). Ten days in the life of a mandrill horde in the Lopé Reserve, Gabon. American Journal of Primatology 40(4):297–313.](https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1098-2345(1996)40:4<297::AID-AJP1>3.0.CO;2-T)
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9. [Lipske M (2010). Mysterious mandrills. National Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, 10 March 2010.](https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2010/Mysterious-Mandrills)
10. [Setchell JM, Lee PC, Wickings EJ, Dixson AF (2001). Growth and ontogeny of sexual size dimorphism in the mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx). American Journal of Physical Anthropology 115(4):349–360.](https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.1091)
11. [Setchell JM, Dixson AF (2001). Changes in the secondary sexual adornments of male mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) are associated with gain and loss of alpha status. Hormones and Behavior 39(3):177–184.](https://doi.org/10.1006/hbeh.2000.1628)
12. [Setchell JM, Wickings EJ, Knapp LA (2006). Signal content of red facial coloration in female mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx). Proceedings of the Royal Society B 273(1599):2395–2400.](https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.3573)
13. [Renoult JP, Schaefer HM, Sallé B, Charpentier MJE (2011). The evolution of the multicoloured face of mandrills: insights from the perceptual space of colour vision. PLoS ONE 6(12):e29117.](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0029117)
14. [Prum RO, Torres RH (2004). Structural colouration of mammalian skin: convergent evolution of coherently scattering dermal collagen arrays. Journal of Experimental Biology 207:2157–2172.](https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.00989)
15. [Leigh SR, Setchell JM, Charpentier M, Knapp LA, Wickings EJ (2008). Canine tooth size and fitness in male mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx). Journal of Human Evolution 55(1):75–85.](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2008.01.001)
16. [Poirotte C, Massol F, Herbert A, Willaume E, Bomo PM, Kappeler PM, Charpentier MJE (2017). Mandrills use olfaction to socially avoid parasitized conspecifics. Science Advances 3(4):e1601721.](https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1601721)
17. [ScienceDaily (2017). Smell protects mandrills from parasites (source: German Primate Center). 10 April 2017.](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170410085328.htm)
18. [Charpentier MJE, Harté M, Poirotte C, de Bellefon JM, Laubi B, Kappeler PM, Renoult JP (2020). Same father, same face: deep learning reveals selection for signaling kinship in a wild primate. Science Advances 6(22):eaba3274.](https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aba3274)
19. [Laidre ME (2011). Meaningful gesture in monkeys? Investigating whether mandrills create social culture. PLoS ONE 6(2):e14610.](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0014610)
20. [Setchell JM, Lee PC, Wickings EJ, Dixson AF (2002). Reproductive parameters and maternal investment in mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx). International Journal of Primatology 23(1):51–68.](https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013245707228)
21. [Tutin CEG, Ham RM, White LJT, Harrison MJS (1997). The primate community of the Lopé Reserve, Gabon: diets, responses to fruit scarcity, and effects on biomass. American Journal of Primatology 42(1):1–24.](https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1098-2345(1997)42:1<1::AID-AJP1>3.0.CO;2-0)
22. [Kudo H, Mitani M (1985). New record of predatory behavior by the mandrill in Cameroon. Primates 26(2):161–167.](https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02382015)
23. [Briercheck K (1999). Mandrillus leucophaeus (drill). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Mandrillus_leucophaeus/)
24. [New England Primate Conservancy. Drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus).](https://neprimateconservancy.org/drill)
25. [Gadsby EL, Cronin DT, Astaras C, Imong I (2020). Mandrillus leucophaeus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T12753A17952490.](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T12753A17952490.en)
26. [Owens JR, Honarvar S, Nessel M, Hearn GW (2015). From frugivore to folivore: altitudinal variations in the diet and feeding ecology of the Bioko Island drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus poensis). American Journal of Primatology 77(12):1263–1275.](https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22479)
27. [Shefferly N (2004). Papio anubis (olive baboon). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Papio_anubis/)

## Measurements & details

- **Length:** 60-95 cm
- **Weight:** 10-37 kg
- **Lifespan:** 20-30 years
- **Speed:** 40 km/h
- **Litter Size:** 1-2
- **Gestation:** 175 days

## Diet & Feeding

Mandrills are omnivores, eating fruits, seeds, insects, and even small animals.

- **Primary Foods:** Fruits, Seeds, Insects, Leaves, Fungi, Small invertebrates
- **Foraging Method:** Foraging

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** [leopard](https://www.snappit.app/explore/leopard) (*Panthera pardus*) — Leopards are a primary natural predator of mandrills.
- **Eaten by:** [human](https://www.snappit.app/explore/human) (*Homo sapiens*) — Humans hunt mandrills for bushmeat and traditional medicine.
- **Depends on:** strangler fig (*Ficus ovata*) — Mandrills frequently feed on the fruits and leaves of fig trees.
- **Eats:** driver ant (*Dorylus fulvus*) — Mandrills consume various ant species, including driver ants.

## Traits

- [Furry](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/furry): Furry describes animals possessing a dense covering of soft hair or fur.
- [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
- [Omnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/omnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet includes both plant and animal matter.
- [Arboreal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/arboreal): Arboreal animals live primarily in trees, utilizing them for shelter, food, and protection from predators.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
- [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night.
- [Speedster](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/speedster): This trait identifies organisms that exhibit exceptional swiftness in movement for hunting, escape, or travel.
- [Endangered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/endangered): Endangered status indicates a species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.

## Collections

- [Mammals](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/mammals)

## Safety

**Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate

Mandrills are wild animals and should be admired from a distance.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Mandrill?

Compare ears, muzzle, tail, feet and coat markings. Size is hard to judge without something nearby for scale, and young mammals may not have adult coloring yet. Mammal Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How long is Mandrill?

60-95 cm

### How much does Mandrill weigh?

10-37 kg

### How long does Mandrill live?

20-30 years

### What does Mandrill eat?

Mandrills are omnivores, eating fruits, seeds, insects, and even small animals.

### Where is Mandrill usually found?

Forests

### How does Mandrill hunt?

Foraging

## More Mammals

- [Eastern Fox Squirrel](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-fox-squirrel) (*Sciurus niger*)
- [Eastern Cottontail](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-cottontail) (*Sylvilagus floridanus*)
- [Eastern Chipmunk](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-chipmunk) (*Tamias striatus*)
- [California Ground Squirrel](https://www.snappit.app/explore/california-ground-squirrel) (*Otospermophilus beecheyi*)

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Source: [Mandrill: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/mandrillus)