Primates Eat Up to 50 Different Varieties Of Fruits A Day

How many times do you have servings of fruits and vegetables a day? A recent study reveals that dietary patterns among primates are much healthier than ours. Primates include five servings of fruits every hour and eat up to 50 different fruits a day. This trend was especially observed among the species in South and Central America.

 A recent study conducted by the researchers at University of East Anglia has done a detailed analysis of the food habits in primates and how it affects their body shape.

"We examined dietary data to quantify how much different primate species feed on fruit, leaves and insects -- particularly in relation to their body size," said Joseph Hawes, the lead author of the study, reports Natureworld .

The findings are based on data collected from 290 studies done in 17 countries on dietary patterns of primates over a span of 42 years. The younger ones are more addicted to insects as compared to fruits whereas the reverse trend is noticed among the older primates, reveals the study.

According to the researchers, the food habits of monkeys directly affect their body shape. The smaller primates or rather newborns prefer insects to fruits, which gives them higher nutrients and calories that stimulates their growth.

In case of the mid-sized primates, their food intake mostly comprises of a variety of fruits that suits their increased body size. They can even have five servings of fruits an hour and can consume up to 50 different species of fruits a day. "Species like Saki monkeys can eat between 45 and 50 species of fruit every day, often consuming their "five a day" in a hour of foraging," reveals a recent post on BBC.

The larger apes eat leaves and foliage as they can digest the high amount toxins present in them.

The study brings out one more significant food habit in apes. Bananas are considered to be the most favorite fruit of the primates whereas the study reveals that they are fonder of fruits from lesser known  trees like Pouteria and Brosimum.

The researchers say this study is the starting point of the analysis of food habits among primates. In fact, further interventions are required to learn more about the importance of the primates.