Mandrillus

Mandrill ( Mandrillus sphinx )

The back furrows or Mandrillartigen baboons ( Mandrillus ) are a genus of the primate family Cercopithecidae, which comprises two kinds: the mandrill (M. sphinx ) and the drill (M. leucophaeus ).

Back furrow baboons take their name from the bony ridges that run along the nasal bone down. Mandrills have six furrows that are colored blue and red frame the nose, drills have two in them the face is black in color. There are large, ground-dwelling primates with rückgebildetem tail. Weighing up to 54 kilograms, they are the heaviest primates other than apes.

They inhabit the rain forests of central Africa and live mainly on the ground. They form large groups that inhabit large home ranges, and feed mainly on fruits, seeds and other parts of plants and small animals.

Previously, they were considered close relatives of baboons (Papio ) and were sometimes even considered as " forest baboon " as their sub- genre. According to current knowledge, they are only distantly related to them, their sister group should be the Weißlid - mangabeys ( Cercocebus ).