Quick answer
Key facts about mandrill — size, diet, habitat, and conservation in one place.
Colour signals
Facial and rump colour intensity signals dominance and testosterone — brighter males rank higher. Females prefer colourful leaders, linking ornamentation to fitness.
Forest foraging
Mandrills travel in large hordes through Gabon and Congo understorey, consuming fruit, fungi, and small vertebrates. They raid crops at forest edges, bringing bushmeat hunting pressure.
Social structure
Multi-male, multi-female groups merge into aggregations of hundreds during dry-season fruit abundance — among the largest primate gatherings.
Conservation
Listed Vulnerable from bushmeat hunting and deforestation. Lopé National Park in Gabon is a stronghold for research and tourism.