Gorilla and Chimpanzee Foods and Prefarance

Gorilla and Chimpanzee Foods 
 

The composition of the gorilla's diet varies by subspecies and seasonality. Western lowland gorilla which are found in the remote swampy forests of eastern DRC. (Democratic Republic of Congo) are subspecies which consumes parts of at least 97 plant species. About 67% of their diet is fruit, 17% is leaves, seeds and stems and 3% is termites and caterpillars. 

Eastern lowland gorilla which are found in Bwindi and other south western parts of Uganda northern parts of Rwanda and the Eastern DRC are subspecies which consumes parts of at least 104 plant species. 

Mountain gorilla are found in two separate locations that is the Virunga range of extinct volcanic mountains on the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Uganda, and in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, these subspecies consumes parts of at least 142 plant species and only 3 types of fruit (there is hardly any fruit available due to the high altitude). 

About 86% of their diet is leaves, shoots, and stems, 7% is roots, 3% is flowers, 2% is fruit, and 2% ants, snails, and grubs. 

Cross River gorilla live in mountainous border area between Cameroon and Nigeria at the top of the Cross River, This subspecies is not as well studied as the other subspecies. However their diet has been studied through their fecal matter and is known to include fruit, leaves, stems, piths, and some invertebrates. 

Western lowland gorillas eat a variety of vegetation.

 

 

Gorillas are able to survive on vegetation such as leaves, stems, roots, vines, herbs, trees, and grasses but such vegetation has relatively low nutritional quality. Therefore, they must consume a larger quantity, but it is available year-round. 

Food Intake 

An adult male gorilla may consume more than 18 kg (40 lbs.) of vegetation per day.

Gorillas rarely drink in the wild because they consume succulent vegetation that is comprised of almost half water as well as morning dew.

Methods of Collecting Food 

Gorillas can use their incredible strength to break apart vegetation. An adult male for example can shred apart a whole banana tree to get to the interior tender pith.

Gorillas are very selective foragers. They usually only eat parts of vegetation. For example they may eat only the leaves, pith, stalk, or roots of a particular plant. They use their agile lips and hand dexterity to manipulate the vegetation for the particular portion they want to consume.

Gorillas do not over exploit an area for food. They crop the vegetation in a manner that allows for quick replenishment to occur.

Gorillas have been documented using the hair on the back of their hands to absorb water and then sucking it.

 

Chimpanzees - Eating Habits

Chimpanzees are omnivorous, eating both meat and plant material. Their diet includes fruits, leaves, buds, seeds, pith, bark, insects, bird eggs, and smaller mammals. Chimpanzees have been observed to kill baboons, other monkeys, and young bush pigs, and they sometimes practice cannibalism. Chimps eat up to 200-300 species of plants, depending on local availability.



Chimpanzees seem to know the medicinal value of certain plants. In the Gombe National Forest in Tanzania, chimps have been seen to eat the plant Apilia mossambicensis to help rid themselves of parasites in their digestive system. A branch of science, zoopharmacognosy, has recently developed to study the medicinal use of plants by wild animals.



Fruit is the main component of the chimpanzee diet, and they spend at least four hours a day finding and eating varieties of this food. In the afternoon chimps also spend another hour or two feeding on young leaves. They also eat quantities of insects that they collect by hand, or in the case of termites, using simple tools. Chimpanzees break open the hard shells of nuts with sticks or smash them between two rocks. Animal prey is eaten less regularly than fruits and leaves. Chimpanzees (usually males) will regularly kill and eat young pigs, monkeys, and antelopes.



Chimpanzees are able to devise simple tools to assist in finding food and for other activities. They use stones to smash open nuts, sticks for catching termites, and they peel leaves from bamboo shoots for use as wash cloths to wipe off dirt or blood, and to collect rainwater from tree-cavities. The use of tools by chimpanzees varies from region to region, which indicates that it is a learned behavior. Young chimps have been observed to imitate their elders in the use of tools, and to fumble with the activity until they eventually become proficient.