What do monkeys eat? A detailed explanation of monkeys' main diet

Monkey is a general term for many animals in the primate order and is the most evolved group in the animal kingdom. They have well-developed brains, limbs that can use simple tools and grasp food, and separated fingers and toes that help them climb branches and hold things. Most live in forest areas and have a very varied diet. Different species of monkeys eat different foods. Let's take a look below at what monkeys eat!

What do monkeys eat

Most monkeys are omnivorous, eating plant-based or animal-based food. Their food choices and feeding methods vary; for example, the aye-aye is skilled at prying insects out of tree holes or stone crevices. Orangutans have a very large food intake and spend almost most of their active time foraging. The colobus monkey family has a special stomach structure, and most species eat plant-based foods high in crude fiber. Different species of monkeys eat different foods, but mainly fruit, plant leaves, seeds, nuts, flowers, insects, spiders, animal eggs and small animals. Although most monkeys are vegetarians, baboons among them will occasionally eat meat, and if given the chance, they will even steal the young of chimpanzees or other animals to eat.

How long do monkeys live

The lifespan of monkeys is generally around 20 years. On July 10, 1988, a male white-throated capuchin named Bobo died. It was the oldest monkey in the world, aged 53 at the time. Legend says that when God determined the lifespans of all living things, humans were given 20 years, donkeys 50 years, dogs 25 years, and monkeys 20 years. But donkeys, monkeys and dogs did not want such long lifespans, and each asked for only 10 years, 10 years and 15 years respectively. Only humans thought their own lifespan was too short, so God gave humans all the years that donkeys, dogs and monkeys had given up. Therefore, in the end humans can live to 80 years.

The most extreme monkeys in the world

1. The most beautiful monkey: the golden snub-nosed monkey. It has a massive body, is golden all over, has a blue face, an upturned nose, and golden hair on its back. It truly deserves its reputation as the most beautiful monkey in the world.

2. The ugliest and strangest monkey: the mandrill. With a red nose, blue face, yellow beard, and red and blue buttocks, it is the ugliest and strangest monkey in the world.

3. The fastest-running monkey: the patas monkey. It can reach a speed of 50 km per hour.

4. The laziest and slowest monkey: the loris (slow loris). It is a famous lazybones among monkeys, needing 12 seconds to move each step.

5. The most numerous monkey: the macaque. It is the monkey people see most often and is often used for performances or scientific experiments.

6. The most precious monkey: the Guizhou snub-nosed monkey. It is distributed only in Fanjing Mountain in Guizhou and was exhibited in a zoo for the first time in the world.

7. The longest-lived monkey: the orangutan. A forest person, clumsy in behavior yet keen in mind, appearing foolish but being wise, calm as water throughout life, it can live as long as 150 years, truly deserving its reputation as the longest-lived monkey in the world.

8. The most ferocious monkey: the baboon. With a long muzzle, tusks, a body as strong as a wolf, long hair and a red rump, it roams the grasslands and mountains of Arabia and kills young living creatures. It is the most ferocious monkey in the world.

9. The most civilized monkey: the driller monkey. With a natural doctoral helmet, an orange-yellow forehead crown, and a snow-white beard, it has a truly civilized appearance, is quiet in manner and well-behaved, and is the most civilized monkey in the world.

10. The smartest monkey: the chimpanzee. Clever and quick-witted, with joy, anger, sorrow and happiness, it imitates humans and can use simple tools, and is the smartest monkey in the world.

11. The loudest-calling monkey: the siamang. With especially long arms and legs, being active, having a natural throat sac, and a crisp call that resounds through the valleys, it can be called the singer of the monkey family and is the loudest-calling monkey in the world.

12. The rarest monkey: the white-headed langur. At present, the wild population is fewer than 30.

13. The monkey that eats the most crabs: the crab-eating macaque. Crabs make up 80% of the food it eats.

14. The monkey with the most colorful fur: the ruffed lemur. Black, white, yellow and many other colors all adorn its body.

15. The most imposing monkey: the lion-tailed macaque. Its whole body is jet black, with long brown hair densely covering the sides of its face, majestic and awe-inspiring. It can be called the lion king among monkeys and is the most imposing monkey in the world.

16. The best-jumping monkey: the white-cheeked gibbon. It can swing 15 m in one step.

17. The monkey with the most curlable tail: the black-capped capuchin. Its tail often curls into a ball, and it can use its tail to hang itself in a tree.

18. The monkey with the smallest and thinnest tail: the pig-tailed macaque. Its tail is short and thin, with sparse tail hair, as if it were a broken tail.

19. The most mysterious monkey: the black langur. Its whole body is pitch black, and it moves swiftly and mysteriously, coming without a trace and leaving without a shadow, just like a lone ranger.

20. The monkey with the most beautiful tail: the ring-tailed lemur. Its tail is long and fluffy, with black and white rings alternating in an orderly way, and it is the most beautiful tail among monkeys.

21. The monkey with the reddest face: the red-faced stump-tailed macaque. Its face is always red, as if ashamed to see people.

22. The most cold-tolerant monkey: the Assamese macaque. It lives very well even in cold forests above 2000 m in altitude.