Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) — Vulnerable

Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx), a large monkey with a vivid red-and-blue face. — Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx).
Image: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

At a glance

IUCN category: VU · Vulnerable
Animal group: Mammals
Population trend: Decreasing
FaunaHub record reviewed: 2026-06-16
Checked against IUCN: Matches source — IUCN's 2019 global assessment of Mandrillus sphinx says VulnerableChecked 2026-10-09 against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28 · assessment

Conservation overview

The mandrill is the largest monkey in the world, famous for the vivid red and blue colouring on the faces of adult males. It is assessed as Vulnerable.

It travels in very large groups on the forest floor.

Range & habitat

Rainforests of west-central Africa, including Cameroon, Gabon, and the Congo.

Major threats

Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.

Hunting for bushmeat
Habitat loss
Fragmentation

Why it matters

As a large, seed-dispersing forest primate that forms some of the biggest primate groups known, the mandrill is a flagship for central African rainforest conservation.

Gallery

A mandrill showing its colourful face. — Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx).
Image: Malene Thyssen, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

Sources for Mandrill

IUCN Red List — look up Mandrill (authoritative status)
Animal Diversity Web

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are male mandrills so colourful?

Dominant males develop bright red and blue facial and rump colouring, which signals status and health; the more dominant the male, the more vivid the colours tend to be.

Why is the mandrill Vulnerable?

Published assessments cite hunting for bushmeat, habitat loss, and fragmentation across west-central Africa. See the IUCN Red List.