This was inspired by a trip to a local zoo and an encounter between a traveler and a sea mandrill. The drunken man was making comments about the monkey “winking” at him and the finished mandrill looking the superior and more evolved of the two.
Folklore said that before 600 BC man descended directly from animals. Native Americans tell this tradition by talking about the stories of their ancestors. In 1619, the Italian philosopher, Lucilio Vanini, was burned alive for suggesting that humans evolved from apes. What is going on? it is done around
The mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) is the first tree of the Old-World monkey family, closely related to the sphinx. There used to be chimpanzees, but recent research has divided them into their own genus, Mandrillus. The mandrilla is the largest species of monkey in the world.
Scientists have confirmed that mandrills are more closely related to long-legged monkeys called mangabeys. This is a classic case of how evolution plays tricks on us by making major differences in closely related species and striking similarities in neighboring species. The mandrill lives primarily on the ground, but sleeps in trees.
The word monkey probably originated in the German version of the popular story Reynard the Fox that appeared in 1580. A group of monkeys refers to a troop or tribe. Mandrills gather in groups of up to 50, traveling up to 6 miles a day in search of food. Mandillas eat plants, insects, lizards, snakes, and other small animals.
The mandrill walks on all legs but can stand upright for short periods on two legs. The name mandrill means monkey man. The ferocious mandrill used over 24 dogs to tear and devour the flesh. His strength is stronger than the average human.
Mandrills are built muscularly by imposing canine teeth. Males, whenever seen in nature, are the most colorful of the sexes. The large, aggressive creatures are also very social. Although, which may sound like a contradiction, apart from the fierce reputation of mammals, they live in social groups of several females in and one dominates the brightly colored male .
The male’s face and legs are smooth. His face is with an intense red color nose; and the same colors in the anus. When the male is excited or angry, the colors become even brighter. Adult mandrills are about 2 feet tall and weigh about 55 pounds. Predators include leopards, cheetahs and humans that hunt mandrills.
The virus’s more vivid display of colors is believed to serve as a guide to the following caravan as it pulls the caravan through the dense forest foraging. I think that their faces and game are colored the same to repel predators, not knowing whether the animals are coming or going. Males also use shine in nature colors to attract females
In courtship the female leads and the male follows. He bares his manly teeth, and makes a gentle chattering noise. If the female intervenes, the male will give his train. and after copulation the male leaves the female. Mothers form bonds with their daughters that can last a lifetime. The bonds with the children are broken when they are of adult age. In captivity, mandrills can live up to 45 years.
People with primates need vitamin C for healthy diets. Many mammals can manufacture their own. Although humans can no longer make this essential vitamins, we have sometimes been genetically averted. The exact mutation that rendered the gene non-functional in the great apes also appears in humans.
The mandrilla is endangered due to the loss of its native habitat in the rainforest. To help, buy only rain forest products that are labeled as rain forest protection. Recycling and buying recycled products help animal shelters by reducing the amount of natural resources taken from the Earth.
The Great Baboon ~ Hilaire Belloc
A large baboon was found
Plains reindeer:
Nothing goes
(to do something terrible).
but if decently dressed
and let his whiskers grow
how similar would this Big Baboon be
to Master So and so!
Sources:
Genetic diversity and reproductive success in mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) PNAS 2005 102:16723-16728; November 7, 2005, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Skeletal and dental morphology supports the origin of chimpanzees and mandrills, PNAS 1999 96:1157-1161, John G. Fleagle and W. Scott McGraw
A conserved common gene with Old World monkeys, PNAS 1989 86:3718-3722, Davidson, Cantilena and Stout
