Nature trail

Primate world:

Three record holders

As primates are our closest relatives, we decided to familiarise you with three more monkeys from the Old World who are said to be the heaviest, smallest and the fastest...

Mandril (Mandrillus sphinx)

Largest of all Old World monkeys, the male mandril also holds the Guinness World Record as the heaviest.

Large male mandrils could weigh even 110 lbs, but on average they weigh around 60 lbs. Females weigh around 30 lbs. The male grows to a length of around a metre and the female 39 inches.

It inhabits tropical rainforests of southern Nicaragua, Cameroon, Gabon, Equator Guinea and the Congo.

Close relatives of about seven species of the baboon, the mandril is recognised by its olive coloured coat and the multi-coloured face and rump.

The face looks more like a painted mask than a monkey’s face with vibrant blue, red and purple hues all over it. As in many animal species, it is the male mandril that sports bright colours while the females and young are less colourful. Females are greyish black and have paler faces and rumps.

The males attain full colour when they are mature. The strong colouration helps the male mandrils to identify each other when foraging, as mandrils are territorial.

As social animals, they usually live in large groups numbering between 15-200 individuals. These large groups which typically roam about 5 miles a day are led by a dominant male. There are at least five or more females in a group along with their young. The male mandrils generally live solitary lives.

The females reach maturity between 3 and 5 years and after a gestation period (time of pregnancy) of 6-7 months, give birth to a single young. The infant is born with its eyes open and a coat of black fur. It sports pink skin during the first two months.

It usually clings to its mother’s belly immediately after birth and is capable of supporting its own weight. Mums and babes form bonds that last into adulthood, especially with daughters, as males tend to spend time on their own after maturity. Bonds are formed through grooming each other during rest time while the very young are at play.

The mandril infants survive on mother’s milk until they are big enough to forage for food. The mandril walks on its fingers and toes so the palms and soles don’t touch the ground. When foraging it keeps in verbal contact with the other members of the group. The mandril has three different calls for control, alarm and banding of the group.

Mandrils are terrestrial (living on land) and omnivorous. They spend most of their time foraging for food which comprises roots, leaves, fruits, seeds, insects, smaller animals and eggs. They are adept (skilled) at foraging because their fingers are well coordinated; they can dig, sort, prepare the food and transfer it to the mouth. Male mandrils have long powerful canine teeth.

The sight of a mandril with its beard, crest and mane coupled with the multi-coloured face and long teeth bearing its teeth at you could be frightful. But, teeth bearing, however frightful it may seem, is actually not a sign of aggression or a threat to attack.

It is in fact said to be a submissive gesture, but no matter what the researchers say, no one would like to take a chance and approach a teeth-bearing mandril.

Talapoin monkey (Miopithecus talapoin)

Recorded to be the smallest monkey species in the Old World the talapoin, typically grows to a length of 32-45 cm with males weighing 1.3 kg and females 0.8 kg.

Known to science since the 18th century, the talapoin lives in Central Africa. Its range extends from Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo to Angola. It prefers rainforests and mangroves, especially near water. It likes to live in various forest types including lowland, riverine and secondary forests. Sometimes the talapoin frequents human settlements close to the water. It is a social and highly mobile monkey.

The two sub species of Old World monkeys classed in the genus Miopithecus, also called Melarthine live in large troops numbering 60-100 individuals. These groups divide into smaller groups during the day to spread out and find food, but congregate at night in trees close to water. Groups consists of fully mature males, numerous females and offspring. Females seem more dominant than the males.

In appearance, the talapoin resembles the vervet monkey. It has a large rounded head and large eyes.

The short snouted face is mostly naked or hairless with black hair growing only around the nose. Hands and feet are chrome yellow and have a buffy or reddish yellow tint. The coat is grey-green on top and whitish underneath. The tail also varies in colour from greyish black to brownish black with a buff yellow or black tip.

The talapoin is omnivorous and its diet comprises mainly fruit, seed, aquatic plants, insects, bird eggs and small vertebrates.

The female gives birth to a single young after a gestation period of 160 days typically during November-March. The large well developed newborn weighs over 200g - about a quarter of its mother’s weight. It develops rapidly and within six weeks eats solids. The offspring of the talapoin is independent by about three months of age.

Average life expectancy in the wild is unknown, but in captivity this guenon monkey is recorded to have lived 28 years.

Patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas)

Distributed over West Africa and into East Africa, the patas monkey is the only species in the genus Erythrocebus. It avoids dense woodlands and prefers to live in open savanna and semi-deserts. It adapts well to different types of habitats.

Related to the guenon monkeys, the patas monkey is believed to be the fastest among primates, covering a distance of 50-55 km in not more than three seconds. It is a speed record holder among apes. Two subspecies, the western (Common) and eastern (Nisnas) have been recognised; the Common species has a black nose and the Nisnas a white nose.

The body structure of the patas monkey bears a remarkable resemblance to that of a greyhound with long legs, narrow body and prominent rib cage. Its strong legs, relatively short feet and toes are characteristics which identify it as a fast sprinter. Its long legs give it a lopping stride.

It has a very expressive, whiskered face with a black brow ridge. It’s reddish tan in colour. Its dorsally red-brown and ventrically grey-white. Its red coat, grey chin whiskers and white military moustache have been responsible for it been called the red guenon, dancing red monkey and the military monkey among many other names.The patas monkey is about 85 cm in length excluding the tail which is about another 75 cm.

One of the most remarkable of all African monkeys, the patas monkey’s lifestyle is somewhat similar to that of the baboons. As a social animal, it too lives in a group like the other two monkeys featured here, but the number of individuals are much less than the mandril’s or the talapoins.

Patas monkey groups have only around 15 individuals comprising a single dominant, fully grown male, females and young. The leader acts as a watchdog when foraging for food or resting in their habitats, exposed to leopards and hyenas.

Standing on its two feet to peer over the tall grass, sometimes using its tail as a tripod, or climbing into an isolated tree to spy out the land, the male leader protects its group from predators which include humans, dogs, felids, hyenas raptors and possibly baboons. It takes a bipedal stance not only when alarmed, but also when carrying something in both hands. No noisy alarm bark is given when the leader spots a potential predator.

Instead it makes a single chirruping call to alert the group which then crouches silently in the grass. The male performs a conspicuous diversion display, bouncing about noisily in the grass or tree, it rushes off in the opposite direction giving time for the females and the young to escape. Exclusively terrestrial, it spends its time on the ground foraging for food such as insects, grubs, buds, leaves, roots, fruits, eggs and young birds.

This very intelligent, but shy and elusive monkey’s daily routine is divided into two main periods, one in the morning and one in the afternoon which is seperated by a rough 1-2 hours of resting around midday. During this rest period, the monkey spends time grooming, feeding the young and socialising.

It stays over night sleeping in trees, but typically it would not sleep in the same tree for two consecutive nights. The young or a baby of a patas monkey is called an infant, a group, a barrel, tribe, troop or a cartload. We’ll bring you more information about our relatives in the wilds in our future issues.