Primates and their Dietary habits

I am going to tell you about these primates’ dietary habits and food choices. But first in order to understand why they eat the way that they do, you need to be aware of where they live in the wild.

Lemurs are fascinating little tree dwellers, or arboreal primates, that thrive in dense jungles and rainforests. They are social animals that live in large groups, sometimes containing more than 100 “members”. The Ring-tailed Lemur of Madagascar is by far the most recognizable Lemur species, recently made famous by the Animated “Madagascar” films. Lemurs are omnivorous meaning they will eat Fruit, and Insects (great source of protein).

Another arboreal primate is the Spider Monkey, including probably one of the “cuter” species of monkey, the Capuchin (as seen below), they live in the rain-forests of Central and South America, with some species also being found as far north as Mexico. They can also be pets (with proper permits and licensing in most states) since most Spider Monkeys are no bigger than a house cat and they have a calm disposition. Their diet consists primarily of Fruits, Nuts and Seeds, but they have been known to dabble in the “Meat Department” partaking in bird eggs, spiders, bugs, and bug larvae. Once in a while, spider monkeys also feed on smaller reptiles as a major source of protein.

Baboons, on the other hand, are primarily land dwellers, living on the savannas of the Serengeti and in parts of the Arabian Peninsula, they are, however, just as comfortable within a jungle environment. These primates are very social creatures, and have an incredible ability to create and maintain an established hierarchy within their clans or “troops” which are led by either a single Alpha Male or Multiple Dominant Males, in situations of Multiple Dominant Males the males are typically brothers.

These primates are omnivores, existing on a diet of worms, insects, reptiles, crabs, small mammals (pictured below), fruits, vegetation, and eggs. Sometimes they will even eat rocks rich in minerals like sodium and magnesium, in order to receive the necessary amounts required for their bodies to function.

 

The Gibbon is medium in size and is the fastest of all of the tree dwelling mammals. They are found in the dense jungles of Eastern India and Southeast Asia. Like all primates they are omnivores, but their primary food source is fruit and vegetables. They also eat foliage and will occasionally eat insects and bird eggs.

                The best known primate on this list is the Chimpanzee. Chimpanzees live in Africa territories range from the Ivory Coast in Western Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa to Southern Sudan in Eastern Africa. The areas they live in range from Savanna Woodlands dense pockets of trees in the grasslands of the Sahara, dense jungle (Congo), and High Altitude Forests called Montane Forests or Cloud Forests. Another omnivore with a primary diet of fruits, seeds, nuts, flower blossoms and leaves. They eat insects and will also hunt and kill larger prey such as deer or other wild game. These animals are incredibly intelligent, highly social, and possess strong family values, they are very protective of their families, especially their young.

 

All of these animals live in the temperate regions of the world where fruit and vegetation is bountiful, which also would attract these animals’ live prey as well. I think it’s safe to say that their physical environment is a direct factor in their dietary patterns and habits. Since social patterns do not reflect in dietary choices, I don’t feel that their social environments are a factor when it comes to what they eat. All of these animals are relatively high on the local food chains as well, most likely due to their levels of intelligence among other things.

Regardless of location on the planet, I found that the diets of these Primates are quite similar. The exact dietary choices may differ strictly based on the regions they live in, but their food types (fruits, vegetation, even their protein sources) are BASICALLY the same, which tells me one thing that all of these animals could survive in at least one of the others’ habitats, if they were forced to do so.