What Do Chimps Eat?

Chimps, like humans, are social animals. Chimps live and hunt together. Both chimps and humans are omnivores, meaning they eat plants and animals. However, animals do not make up a big part of a chimp's diet. Chimp diets are varied; for example, the Honolulu Zoo website states that chimps consume about 300 plant species a year.

  1. Plants

    • During the day, chimps roam forests and eat plants, tree bark and berries. They might spend as much as four hours finding plant food. Chimps also eat nuts, and like humans, use tools to help. They use stones and similar tools to break open the nuts. Chimps also eat leaves. Some of the plants they eat help them with digestive issues and other ailments.

    Insects

    • Chimps in the wild use tools and their own hands to catch insects. They are fond of nutrition-rich termites. They put sticks into termite and ant mounds, then draw the sticks out and eat the termites and ants. They also use sticks to scrape worms and grubs off logs. Chimps in captivity also eat termites and ants, thanks to zookeepers who establish these mounds.

    Larger Animals

    • Chimps prey on and eat monkeys, particularly infant and child red colobus monkeys. This hunting mostly happens when chimps' other food supplies are low. Male chimps do most of the hunting, and the level of hunting success depends on how much they cooperate and work together. Chimps do not waste any part of the monkeys and even eat their brains. Chimps also eat birds, pigs, antelopes, other chimps and carrion, which are dead animals. Chimps also eat bird eggs.

    Miscellaneous

    • Chimps do not hold onto their food; they eat it when they see it. They are more likely to share food with chimps who are their allies or who help groom them. Head males generally decide distribution of food and property. Chimps use leaves to collect rainwater for drinking. They also know how to use holes in trees and elsewhere as sources of water.