Thursday, January 8, 2015

Creature Feature #446: Mandrill

The Mandrill is a large Old World monkey, related to baboons, macaque and drill. He can be found in forests, often those bordering savannah. The male is most dramatically coloured, with his vivid facial mask and equally colourful rear end. Mandrill groups are known as "hordes" and contain hundreds of females and their offspring. Males are solitary, only entering the horde during the female's 3-month oestrus cycle.  Only the brightly-coloured, dominant males are fertile, but subordinate males can rise through the ranks and develop the vivid colouration that advertises his virility.

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