Mandrill

The mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) is the world's largest monkey, native to the tropical rainforests and gallery forests of west-central Africa. Males are immediately recognizable by the vivid blue and red skin on their faces and rumps, coloration that intensifies with social dominance and serves as a visual signal within groups. Mandrills are highly social, forming some of the largest non-human primate gatherings on record, known as hordes, which can number in the hundreds and are organized around a core of related females.

Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, the mandrill faces mounting pressure from habitat loss driven by logging, agricultural expansion, and human settlement across Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and the Republic of Congo. Hunting for bushmeat is a significant and ongoing threat throughout their range. Mandrills are important seed dispersers in their forest habitat, swallowing and transporting seeds across large distances as they forage across the forest floor and canopy edges, making their decline a concern that extends well beyond their own population.