Description:

The African manticore (Carnopapio africanus) is an Old World monkey that evolved to take the niche of pack-hunting predators of Africa. They belong to a group of semi-carnivorous primates inhabiting Africa and Europe called the carnopapionids. The manticores (genus Carnopapio) get their name due to their resemblance to lions in behavior and appearance. Although looking superficially similar to lions, they have different behaviors (covered in the "Hunting and Diet" and "Social Behavior"). Unlike the lions of the Holocene, these monkeys are a deep orange-red color. The males are about 1.2 to 1.5 meters from the rear to the snout, and the females are about 1.1 to 1.3 meters. They also have a long tail equivalent to the body length, which helps with balance. The males also have more hair near the neck and head. The manticores also tend to walk plantigrade but run digitigrade. These primates are also some of the longest-lived predators on the African continent, with an average lifespan of 40 years. It goes up to about 60 years in captivity.

Distribution:

These monkeys inhabit the open grasslands, kopjes, woody savanna, open woodland, and semi-arid deserts of Africa. It is important to note that the group size tends to be smaller in more arid climates.

Hunting and Diet:

Their diet mainly consists of small to medium-sized herbivorous grazers and smaller animals such as rodents, insects, birds, eggs, and other small animals. They supplement their diet with fruit, roots, and berries to gain Vitamin C since primates cannot create it.

These animals are mob-styled predators. Unlike other predators that chase down their prey, these monkeys try to surround their prey without being seen. Usually, there are about seven to twenty members in a hunting group. They let out whistles and calls to make sure everyone is in position. Once every member is in the right piece, every monkey will run towards the prey animal and mob it. Each monkey will take turns trying to bite the prey animal, with some jumping on top of the animal to bite the neck. The goal of the hunting group is to exhaust the prey animal to make it easier to take down. The strategy has a high success rate, with about 80% of hunts led to a kill. Once the prey dies, the prey is shared equally among the family group.

Social Behavior:

These primates live in packs of up to 20 adult individuals and their young. In a pack, there is usually a lead male and a female. The male and female make sure that the rest of the pack falls into line with the hierarchy. For instance, they ensure that the young of the pack get the first picks of food. Unlike other predators (mainly carnivorans), African manticores can only give birth to one child at a time and have a long gestation of 90 days. This limitation results in only one baboon giving birth at a time, and the family will care for the mother. After the baby is born, the mother stays with them until they don't need milk. Once the baby manticore is old enough, the baby will be introduced to the other young of the pack. One manticore is responsible for looking after the young when the rest of the tribe hunts. The baby manticores usually take about 5 years to mature. When reaching sexual maturity, the male manticores will leave the pack and form packs. These new packs can either be bachelor groups consisting only of males or form a new pack.

Competition with Other Species:

Manticores still have to face other species within their environment despite being top-level carnivores. Hyenagooses, land eagles, and crocorexes are their main threat. These predators often steal their kills or directly attack them for food. Various scientists reported seeing all three predators directly attack the young of manticores. In turn, manticores often steal the eggs of crocorexes and land eagles. Manticores also try to steal the babies of hyenagooses and kill them later. Although these behaviors have been documented by researchers, most predators use loud vocalizations and posture rather than fighting.