In the Broadway musical The Lion King, what species is Rafiki?

In the Broadway musical The Lion King, Rafiki is a mandrill.

Rafiki is the wise shaman who guides Simba through important moments in the story. Although audiences often call Rafiki a baboon, the character is specifically identified as a mandrill, a large Old World monkey native to parts of western and central Africa. The confusion is understandable because mandrills and baboons are both members of the monkey family and can look similar in simplified artwork.

The stage musical opened on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre in November 1997. Julie Taymor’s production uses masks, puppets, costumes, and human performers to represent its animal characters. Rafiki is especially distinctive because the role was created as a female character for the stage production, unlike the male-presenting version commonly associated with some adaptations.

The mandrill is known for its vividly colored face and rump, features that help make Rafiki visually memorable. The character’s name means “friend” in Swahili, reinforcing Rafiki’s role as a trusted guide.