# Mandrill (*Mandrillus sphinx*)

> 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.

- **Category:** Mammal
- **Conservation status (IUCN):** Vulnerable
- **Range:** Rainforests of Gabon, Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and southwestern Central African Republic.
- **Canonical page:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/mandrill/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

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

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Mandrillus sphinx |
| Diet | Omnivore — fruit, seeds, leaves, insects, and small animals |
| Habitat | Rainforests and gallery forest of central Africa |
| Lifespan | 20–25 years in the wild |
| Weight | 19–35 kg (42–77 lb); males much larger than females |
| Top speed | Up to 40 km/h (25 mph) in forest sprints |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |

## 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.

## Size and striking sexual dimorphism

Mandrills show some of the most extreme size differences between the sexes of any primate. Large males can weigh up to about 35 kg (77 lb) and are roughly three times the weight of females, which are typically around 12 to 15 kg. Males also carry long canine teeth, sometimes several centimetres long, which they bare in a wide "yawn" to intimidate rivals.

## Diet and foraging

Mandrills are omnivores that forage mainly on the forest floor, using their strong hands and cheek pouches to gather food as they travel. Their diet is dominated by fruit and seeds, supplemented with leaves, roots, fungi, insects, and small animals such as frogs and lizards. They will dig through leaf litter and turn over stones to reach hidden invertebrates.

## Life in huge groups

Mandrills form some of the largest stable groups of any primate, and central troops known as hordes can number in the hundreds. These groups are built around related females and their young, with males often living more peripherally and joining fully in the breeding season. In forest sprints a mandrill can move at up to 40 km/h (25 mph) when escaping danger or covering ground between feeding sites.

## Habitat and range

The mandrill lives in the tropical rainforests and gallery forests of west-central Africa, chiefly in Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and the Republic of the Congo. It is largely terrestrial, foraging by day across the forest floor, but climbs trees to sleep safely at night. Its range is bounded by major rivers that separate it from its close relative, the drill.

## Conservation and threats

The mandrill is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, and its numbers are falling. The two biggest threats are hunting for bushmeat, made easier by their large, noisy groups, and the loss and fragmentation of rainforest to logging and agriculture. Because mandrills breed slowly and depend on large tracts of intact forest, protected reserves are important to their future.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why are mandrills so colourful?

Mandrills use their bright red and blue faces and rumps to signal status and health. The colours are most intense in dominant males, driven by testosterone, and help advertise rank to rivals and females on the shadowy forest floor.

### How big do mandrills get?

Male mandrills can weigh up to about 35 kg (77 lb), while females are much smaller at roughly 12 to 15 kg. This makes the mandrill one of the largest and most sexually dimorphic of all monkeys.

### What do mandrills eat?

Mandrills are omnivores whose diet is dominated by fruit and seeds. They also eat leaves, roots, fungi, insects, and small animals such as frogs and lizards, foraging mostly on the forest floor.

### Are mandrills the same as baboons?

No, though they are closely related and were once grouped with baboons. Mandrills belong to their own genus, Mandrillus, and are distinguished by their vivid colouring and their rainforest, forest-floor lifestyle.

### How large are mandrill groups?

Mandrills form some of the largest groups of any primate. Central troops, known as hordes, can contain several hundred individuals, built mainly around related females and their young.

### Are mandrills endangered?

Mandrills are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, and their numbers are declining. The main threats are hunting for bushmeat and the loss of rainforest habitat to logging and farming.

## Sources

- [IUCN Red List — Mandrillus sphinx.](https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Mandrillus%20sphinx&searchType=species)
- [Animal Diversity Web — Mandrillus sphinx. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Mandrillus_sphinx/)

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