The Drill[1] is a primate in the Cercopithecidae family (Old-World Monkeys), related to baboons and even more closely to mandrills.
- Rarely seen in captivity and even rarer in the wild, the elusive drill monkey’s face is striking: a chiseled, glossy black face with piercing honey-colored amber eyes, a bright red lower lip, and distinctive bumps along its nose.
- Mainland and Bioko drills have the same olive-brown fur with pale white underparts, although they can be distinguished by the hairs on the sides of their crown.
- A Bioko drill has yellowish-brown fur with a black tip, while the crown of a mainland drill is circled in black and yellow.
- The male Drill, defender of the family, has large canines, sometimes over two inches long, which it uses for protection and competition with other male drills.
- Unlike its cousin – the Mandrill – which is instantly recognizable by its bright red nose with blue ribs, an adult male drill is perhaps most distinguishable by the view of its rear end: its butt develops striking blue, pink, and red hues that they are always present and become more vivid as it gets exciting.
- Besides drills, members of the subfamily Cercopithecinae have a short tail base and deep cheek pouches to store food.
