Mandrill
| Mandrill | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Family: | Cercopithecidae |
| Genus: | Mandrillus |
| Species: | M. sphinx |
| Binomial name | |
| Mandrillus sphinx (Linnaeus, 1758) |
|
The Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) are the most colourful primates in the world. The skin colours brighten as the animal gets more excited. Males live mostly on the forest floor, while females and young climb up into trees and bushes.
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Description [change]
Males have an orange/yellow beard and an unmistakable bright red and blue snout and rump. Females and juveniles have a duller blue snout and a buff beard. Mandrills can live for over 46 years. They feed on fruits, leaves, roots, seeds, nuts, greens and invertebrates.
Habitat [change]
Mandrills live in Cameroon and Gabon. Mandrills live in dense rainforest and coastal forests, although they will sometimes venture into savannah. Mandrills also scavenge on the ground not always in trees.
Behaviour [change]
There are two distinct group types in mandrill society. One type consists of one very large male and an average of 15 females. The other group-type is multi male and multi female, and can include up to 200 members. Mandrills are predominantly terrestrial. They sleep in trees at a different site each night. Their bright colors help groups of mandrills follow each other in the dense forest.[1]
References [change]
- ↑ Parker, Jane; Frances A. Dipper. DISCOVERY Oceans and Rainforests. 2000 Quarto Children's Books. pp. 41. ISBN 1-57145-445-4.
