• Sponsorship

• A fun fact inspired by a recent Metazooa answer

• Answers to last week's games

Coming and going, mandrills are the most colourful monkeys

From the pages of popular children’s books to Hollywood’s big screens, monkeys and apes have filled our imagination with the possibility of mischief and innocence, of companionship, wisdom, and even wild rebellion. From the simple appearance of Curious George to the orange fur of Dr. Zaius, we tend to think of all apes and monkeys as fairly simple creatures, when it comes to appearances. But there is one monkey which takes the prize for its outlandish expression of vibrant colour and impressive display of male dominance.

The mandrills (Metazooa animal #263) of Africa’s western coastal rainforests may resemble baboons, but in fact —they are of a genus almost unique to themselves. What sets them apart from all monkeys is their colourful appearance. Dominant males showcase their status through their colours. Higher testosterone levels result in a more vivid expression of the intense crimson topping their muzzles. Framed in shocking neon blue ridges, the mandrill’s snout sits atop a golden beard and mane, giving it a fantastical and regal appearance sure to set it apart among any crowd. And while this alone is enough to call attention, the mandrill is just as spectacular from behind. Many monkeys have colourful backsides, but the mandrill takes this trick to the next level. Blues, reds, purples and pinks own the term “sexual signalling,” making the mandrill one of boldest examples in the animal kingdom.

Mandrills are so outlandish and deliciously “over-the-top” that biologist Charles Darwin famously stated, “no other member in the whole class of mammals is coloured in so extraordinary a manner.” We may never know which end of the mandrill impressed him the most, but it seems clear that this incredible monkey may have influenced Darwin’s impression that humans somehow share ancestry with creatures as bold and flashy as we are.

Answers to last week's games

Monday, April 15 to Sunday, April 21.

Linxicon

The following are the shortest paths from last week:

• #63 expense -> money -> words -> dictionary -> definition

• #64 restriction -> provide -> cook -> pan

• #65 radio -> station -> located -> found

• #66 assign -> charge -> electric -> motor

• #67 track -> race -> struggle -> difficult

• #68 marry -> together -> addition -> additional

• #69 testify -> judgement -> resulting -> subsequent

• #70 Play now!

Forgeous

Goya, Francisco de. Ignacio Garcini y Queralt (1752–1825), Brigadier of Engineers. 1804, oil paint on canvas, 104.1 x 83.2 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession no. 436542.

Play Forgeous for April 22.