1 or more males may associate with the group. Mangabeys belong to the family cercopithicidae. There are 4-9 species, taxonomic disputes continue. Although they look similar, the mangabey species have different behaviour and take up different niches. The last two are sometimes assigned the genus Lophocebus instead.
All mangabeys prefer fruits which form the bulk of their diet.
This is supplemented by other vegetation and animal protein. They also tear live bark off the trees using their teeth and hands. When a group is feeding, the air resounds with tearing sounds and sharp cracks as they rip bark from the trees and break off dead branches to reach the insects and spiders that are hiding in the crevices. Other invertebrates are found by rustling through the broad leaves of epiphytic plants that grow on many of the big branches high in the canopy. Where fleshy fruit are scarce, they often eat a lot of nectar.