Thread by @chumblebiome

NEXT UP: 6th seed Sphinx monkey (Mandrillus sphinx) vs. 11th seed Black and Red Bush Squirrel (Paraxerus lucifer) #2021MMM

Sphinx monkey is named after the sphinx, a mythical creature w/the body of a lion, wings of an eagle, and head of a person. Astute observers may recognize sphinx in hits like #2014MMM, #2017MMM, & as part of the seven Wonders of the Ancient World. [Pic: Clark & Kim Kays] #2021MMM

Sphinx were supposed to be intelligent & ferocious guards. It must be something about these monkey's colorful faces that just strikes us as wise - Rafiki, Simba's mentor in The Lion King, was also a sphinx monkey (or more commonly, mandrill). #2021MMM

Both male & female mandrills have this coloration, but these monkeys are VERY sexually dimorphic: an adult male is 3.4x bigger than an adult female! This makes mandrills the most sexually dimorphic primate & one of the most sexually dimorphic mammals. [Pic @sandiegozoo] #2021MMM

The Black and Red Bush Squirrel's species name is Lucifer, which means "light bringer" or "morning star" in Latin. In English this is often the name of the original fallen angel in the Hebrew and Christian bibles, ie. the Devil. #2021MMM [Pic: Gustave Doré, Public Domain]

#SpaceTangent Venus, aka morning star, is super bright & easy to see w/o a telescope. Depending on its orbit, It can sometimes be seen either prior to sunrise OR in the evening! This positional swap may have fueled the "fall from grace" myths #2021MMM space.com/39240-when-to-…

In any case, the use of Lucifer as the sp name for a squirrel feels a taaaad dramatic for this biologist, especially given that it's basically the size of a chonky stoat (1.5lbs/3 stoat-weights and 10in/.72 stoat-lengths) #StoatsAsMeasurement #2021MMM [Pic J. Smit, Public Domain]

Tonight's battle takes place squarely in mandrill territory: we're in the mature semi-evergreen tropical rainforest of Lopé National Park. This park is part of a @UNESCO World Heritage site located in central Gabon. #2021MMM [Pics: Flickr user jbdodane; © jbdodane.com]

Our black and red bush squirrel is walking high up on a tree branch when it stops in its tracks and looks around. Something is off...this rainforest smells different than its home forests in southern Tanzania and northern Malawi. #2021MMM [Pic: IUCN Red List]

But the squirrel is high up in a tree, what could go wrong? It starts walking around when it spies a nest slightly below. Hungry, squirrel goes to check it out. #2021MMM [Photo Markus Gmeiner, iNaturalist.ca] inaturalist.ca/observations/5…

As squirrel approaches the nest, it notices a lot of rustling below. It treads cautiously, not knowing what to expect. It reaches the empty nest (ugh) and peers over the edge to see what's making the ruckus. #2021MMM

The squirrel sees the edge of a mandrill group being recorded by a researcher! But this isn't just a group. No, no, no, no, no, no, no...this is a horde. (White et. al 2010) #2021MMM [Image from anthroillustrated.com]

MANDRILLS AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE!! There are easily over 700 mandrills foraging in the forest underbrush. (White et al 2010) #2021MMM bit.ly/38RaKuT

Squirrel's fight or flight instinct kicks in, and it's all flight, baby. Squirrel rockets out of the nest, sending it flying! #2021MMM

The flying nest attracts the attention of a HUGE male! At 82 lbs (169 stoats) & beautiful bold blue coloration, this male is in his prime. And Big Blue's ready for some fresh meat. (Setchell and Wickings 2005; Hongo et. al 2018) #2021MMM core.ac.uk/download/pdf/1…

Despite his size, Big Blue can MOVE. He shoots out of his spot and after the squirrel! All his commotion attracts the attention of other males foraging! It's free for all, but none of them can catch up with Blue's sizable lead #2021MMM

Squirrel is sprinting as fast as it can! A dead end on its branch forces it to hop onto another and in its hurry, it ends up going the opposite way... #2021MMM

...onto a branch right above Big Blue! He grabs Squirrel by the tail and... #2021MMM

#DirectorsCut
"The basic process was as follows:

attack the head,
pull the hind legs to eat them,
and then skin the abdominal region to eat the bulk of the prey."

(Kudo and Mitani 1985) #2021MMM bit.ly/3ttnDTK

SPHINX MONKEY DEVOURS BLACK AND RED BUSH SQUIRREL! #2021MMM