Diets of Primates

Primates are among the most interesting of all animals due to their intelligence, unique lifestyle and similarities to humans. All aspects of primates have been studied very closely over the years, including their habitats, mating habits, methods of communication and their diets. The diets of primates share a lot of commonalities among the various species, as well as similarities to the human diet.

  1. Baboons

    • According to National Geographic, native to Africa and Arabia, there are five species of baboons, all of which are omnivores. Their diet was formed out of opportunity and they choose to eat whatever is around including fruits, roots, seeds, grasses, rodents, birds, sheep and antelope. They are known for loving crops and have become a burden for African farmers whose crops they destroy.

    Chimpanzee

    • National Geographic reports that chimpanzees are native to Africa and prefer to live in large, social groups. Sharing more than 98 percent of genes with human beings, chimpanzees are highly intelligent animals who utilize some very human like techniques in gathering and eating their food. Subsisting on a diet of fruits, plants, eggs, insects and hundreds of other foods, chimpanzees will use rocks to open nuts, leaves to soak up water for drinking and sticks to dig out insects from nests or inside logs.

    Orangutan

    • According to National Geographic, orangutans are native to Southeast Asia and spend the majority of their life in the trees, using their unusually long arms to swing from branch to branch. Like other primates, orangutans are close relatives of humans and are intelligent and resourceful animals. Orangutans are omnivores and prefer a diet of fruit and leaves gathered from the trees they live in, and occasionally insects, bark and meat.

    Gorillas

    • National Geographic states that gorillas are native to many countries in Africa including Cameroon, Congo, Gabon and Angola, preferring to live in large groups of up to 30, led by one older male and consisting of several younger males, females and the offspring. Even eating is considered to be a group activity; often led by the dominant male, the omnivorous animals prefer a vegetarian diet consisting of fruit, bark, roots and wild celery.