Lemur- The Lemur is from Madagascar and it is a nocturnal
animal. The Lemurs diet consists of fruits plants and at times insects. Their
diet varies based on their breed. Smaller lemurs eat mainly fruits and
sometimes insects. Bigger breeds will eat plants such as bamboo. They could have adapted to this diet because
Lemurs are mostly seen on trees. Leaves and fruits grow on trees and this was
probably the way they’ve adapted to their diet.
Spider Monkey- The Spider is mostly found in tropical
places, such as south America. Their Diet consists mostly of fruits and nuts.
They also may be seen eating little insects on barks of trees. The spider
monkey lives on trees could have adapted to the fruit grown on them and the
insects on the bark of the tree. They will eat hanging or even swinging from
branch to branch.
Baboon- Baboons live in the savannahs and woodlands. Their
diet consist of a variety of things. Grass is a major part of their diet but
also eat different berries, flowers, plants, seeds and insects. They could have
adapted to this diet because of their environment, they will eat what is around
them and what they find.
Gibbon- The Gibbon is found in places like Indonesia,
Malaysia, and Thailand. Their diet is mainly made up of fruits and leaves. Their adaptation is mostly because of their
tropical type habitat where fruit and plants grow very much.
Chimpanzee- The Chimpanzee lives in Western and Central
Africa. The Chimpanzee is much like the human and their diet consist of fruits
and some meat. They are in the forest, which is where they could find the
fruits and leaves. They will eat insects and bugs and will occasionally eat
small animals.
I believe that these primates’ environments has a lot to do
with their diet. They seem to have much of a similar diet. Their habitat has a
great influence on their diet because they seem to adapt to what is around
them. The ones that could adapt to any environment, it seems that their diet
consist of a wider variety.
Overall, good post. Some of your comments does raise a couple of questions:
ReplyDeleteYou seem to suggest that primates adapted to the available food items. To a certain extent, that is true, but can it go the opposite way? Can an organism, perhaps facing limited resources, move into another environment that fits their adaptations?
Another question I would have liked to have seen addressed in your summary is the issue of specialization in diet. Why are some primates (gibbons) relative specialists in their diets while others (particularly chimpanzees) have a very broad based diet and will eat almost anything? Is this environmentally based? Could it reflect a changing/non-changing environment in their evolutionary history? Why don't chimps specialize like gibbons?
Otherwise, good.
I agree with Professor Rodriguez about the questions that may be raised because of your post... Overall i thought it was very informative, however there were some questions that arose.. I also was wondering why some monkeys have a different diet then others... is it because of their habitat and the food sources available, or is it because they have evolved to need those types of foods. I do like your summary though when you say that the primates environment has a lo to do with their diet, because like you i also think that the reasons why they consume the foods they do is a direct result of evolution they have adapted to the foods that their environment provides. Good Job!!
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