# Where Do Mandrills Live?

> Where mandrills live: Rainforests and gallery forest of central Africa, native range cues, and human overlap. Status Vulnerable.

- **Species:** Mandrill (*Mandrillus sphinx*)
- **Conservation status:** Vulnerable
- **Diet:** Omnivore — fruit, seeds, leaves, insects, and small animals
- **Habitat:** Rainforests and gallery forest of central Africa
- **Lifespan:** 20–25 years in the wild
- **Top speed:** Up to 40 km/h (25 mph) in forest sprints
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/mandrill/where-do-mandrill-live/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/mandrill/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The mandrill is the world's most colourful primate, a large forest-floor monkey native to the rainforests of central Africa. Dominant males are unmistakable, with a scarlet-and-blue face and rump, and can weigh up to about 35 kg, far more than the smaller females. Mandrills are omnivores that live in some of the largest groups of any primate, reach 20 to 25 years in the wild, and are listed as Vulnerable.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a sighting hotline. This page is native range and habitat.

## The most colourful primate

The mandrill is the most vividly coloured of all mammals, and the colour is strongest in dominant adult males. Their faces carry a bright red central stripe flanked by ridged blue cheeks, and the same scarlet and blue appear on the rump. These signals grow more intense with rank and testosterone, advertising a male's status to rivals and females across the dim forest floor.

## Help protect the Mandrill

The mandrill is listed as Vulnerable, with habitat loss the leading threat to its future.

[Donate to protect habitat](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/appeals/habitats/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/mandrill/where-do-mandrill-live/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.