Drill

drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus)

drill, (Mandrillus leucophaeus), large short-tailed monkey found from southeastern Nigeria to western Cameroon and on Bioko Island. As a result of hunting and deforestation, the drill is now highly endangered. The drill, like the related mandrill, was formerly thought to be a forest-dwelling baboon, but it is now known to be related to some of the mangabeys; all of these primates belong to the Old World monkey family, Cercopithecidae.

Like the mandrill, the drill is a stout-bodied quadrupedal monkey with vividly coloured buttocks. The drill is slightly smaller, the male being about 82 cm (32 inches) long. Males are larger than females. Drills have a black face with a crimson lower lip. The hairs around the face and the tuft behind each ear are yellowish white. The rest of the fur is olive-brown. The drill is also like the mandrill in being active during the day, omnivorous, mainly terrestrial, and gregarious. Small groups consisting of one male and up to 20 females may come together to form troops of over 100. A powerful animal, the drill can fight ferociously if molested.