What Do Chimpanzees Eat?
Posted In: Mammals.
Chimpanzees are just as diverse in their diet as humans are. They, like us are omnivorous, meaning that they eat a variety of things in their diet. This list is fairly long and includes things such as meat, insects, leaves, blossoms, seeds and fruit. They also eat things such as nuts. They rarely eat meat however – the percentage of meat that is eaten in their diet is around one percent of the total diet, with fruit comprising the highest proportion at over 60 percent. So here is more information about their diet.
Fruit and chimpanzees
Fruit comprises over 60 percent of the diet. They will typically eat the fruit that is available in the habitat that they are in. They eat both ripe and unripe fruit, and since this is the biggest part of their diet, they spend a lot of time foraging for this.
Flowers, bark and tree seeds
If fruit becomes scarce, then the chimpanzees will seek out flowers, bark and tree seeds. This takes second place to the fruit that they enjoy. Over 80 different plants are what chimps eat from in the wild. Buds, blossoms and leaves are also a part of the diet of the wild chimpanzee.
Insects and chimpanzees
Chimpanzees can find a variety of insects in the jungles of their home range to supplement their diet. Some of these insects include ants, termites, and other insects. This is about four percent of their diet in the wild.
Chimpanzees and meat
As said before, chimps do not eat meat often and it is considered to be “gourmet” food. However, if they do eat meat from animals, all the meat is eaten, including the brain of the animal that has been killed. In the wild, the varied diet helps keep a chimpanzee healthy. However in captivity the diet may be varied just a little depending on where in the world they are.
More on chimpanzees: Facts about chimpanzees.