Adorable baby monkey debuts at the Bronx Zoo

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - Visitors to the Bronx Zoo can head to the Congo Gorilla Forest exhibit to see a baby mandrill that was born in July.

The mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) is one of the largest monkey species in the world, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs the zoo. The species is also very colorful.

"The dominance status of males can be determined by the relative brightness of their coloration – dominant males are brightly colored while subordinate males are paler," the WCS said in a news release. "Females are smaller and less colorful, and normally breed with the most dominant males."

The baby, a female, was born to Sandy and Nigel on July 3 and debuted at the exhibit at the end of August. The zoo's mandrill troop is made up of one adult male, several females, and their offspring.

"The female nurses and cares for the baby… while the male's primary role is to protect all troop members," the WCS said.

Mandrills are native to the rainforests of central west Africa. They can be found in parts of Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon, according to the WCS.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources classifies the mandrill as "vulnerable" because of hunting and habitat loss.

The Wildlife Conservation Society's mission is to save "wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature," according to its website. In addition to the Bronx Zoo, its flagship property, WCS runs the Prospect Park Zoo, the New York Aquarium, the Queens Zoo, and the Central Park Zoo.