Omnivorous Monkeys

monkeys

Monkeys are omnivorous, meaning they can eat both plants and animals. Depending on where they live, monkeys may eat fruit, nuts, leaves, flowers, seeds, insects, small mammals and even lizards.

Monkey populations are in decline, with some species facing very high risks of extinction. The main factors contributing to this include habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and hunting for bushmeat and traditional medicines.

Many people imagine monkeys eating bananas all day, but monkey diets are far more diverse than that. Monkeys are true omnivores and eat all types of fruits, nuts, vegetables, leaves, flowers, bark, insects, lizards, birds’ eggs and rodents. They also drink tree sap or eat other non-fruit plants, such as shoots, pith and roots.

Some species, like proboscis monkeys with their big noses, are strict frugivores (fruit-eating only) while others like black spider monkeys are able to switch from fruit to leaves when necessary. In fact, the latter are often found to spread the seeds of the fruits they eat to ensure that future vegetation can grow in their environment.

Almost all monkeys are highly social creatures and they live in troops, consisting of females with young and either a single male (as in hamadryas baboons, mandrills and some guenons) or several males (as in savannah baboons and langurs). They usually stay with the troop where they were born but can move to new ones when they are adults. They communicate with one another using vocalizations, facial expressions and body movements. They can also use their long tails to hold branches or other objects to support themselves while they are climbing.