The majority of a chimpanzee's diet consists of fruit, leaves, seeds, and insects. Variance in a chimpanzee's diet is due to the particular time of year and availability of different food in the wild. An article found on the Honolulu Zoo’s website discusses that chimps may consume over 20 different species in a given day, and over 200 different species in a given year. That’s quite a smorgasbord!
Termites a common choice for chimps because they are a great source of protein. Termites are gathered either by hand or by use of handmade tools. Birds and other mammals are sometimes on a chimp’s dinner menu, but far more rarely than fruit, veggies, or termites.
Groups of individual chimpanzees often work together to hunt for food as a team- for example, one individual will seek out the most abundant area in the forest and bring the rest of the group out to that area, or bring back food for the group. This group structure is also used to protect from prey.
Chimps also drink water, often by soaking up moisture in the leaves they eat. Fruit is also an important part of their diet, as fruit often has a great deal of moisture present in it.
We found a video from the Jane Goodall institute, demonstrating how chimpanzees use sticks as tools to engage in "termite fishing". One of the researchers says that he sometimes eats termites and that they taste like cashews. Would you ever eat one of these delicacies? You couldn’t dare us!
Here's the link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inFkERO30oM&feature=related
Great blog! It is interesting to me that chimps are our closest relative yet they are rarely carnivorous. I wonder why that is, since you would think they could easily catch prey due to their size and strength.
ReplyDeleteDo you know if chimps find food and bring it back for their young? Or are they responsible for finding their own food as well?
You said chimps get water from their diet--which I also found is true of meerkats. Do you know if they ever drink water straight from a source or do they rely solely on water from fruit and plants? I know that meerkats will readily drink if water is available, so I am wondering if this is true of chimps as well.
Looking forward to learning more about chimps soon!