Comparative Primate Post:
Comparing the diet of the Common chimpanzee, Western hoolock gibbon, olive baboon, Madam Berthe's mouse lemur, and Geoffroy's spider monkey.

Common Chimpanzee:

The common chimpanzee doesn't really have one set environment, as they have been reported as living in swamps, woodlands, rainforests, the savanna, and other areas of Africa, and it seems like there isn't any sort of weather or environmental preference.  However, like most primates, chimpanzees live in trees, and thus are likely to be found in wooded, forest regions.  Due to their varied environmental habits, the diets of chimpanzees mostly consist of fruits, bugs, leaves, and tree bark, as these are all things that are almost universal to most environments, aside from perhaps fruits.  It could be seen as an environmental adaptation, because a species that travels so much and occupies so many varied environments must choose a food source that is easily found all over the world.  Because they live in trees, it is obvious that they would look to leaves and fruits for food sources, as they are in such close proximity.  Chimpanzees are also known to eat other small monkey species, mainly in situations where there aren't enough trees for the prey monkey species to hide.

Western Hoolock Gibbon:


Western hoolock gibbons live almost exclusively in densely wooded forest regions that experience plenty of rainfall, mostly in India and Bangladesh.  This species only eats fruits and leaves, which could clearly be seen as an environmental adaptation, due to the fact that wet, dense forest areas are bound to be lush with fresh fruits and infinite amounts of leaves.  Also, like the chimpanzee, western hoolock gibbons live high up in the trees, and thus leaves and fruits present themselves as easily accessible food sources.

Olive Baboon:


The olive baboon resides all over Africa, yet like the common chimpanzee, this species can be found in a wide variety of environments.  Many olive baboons have been found in rain forests, though the majority of them are found in flat, plain regions and grasslands.  Because of the varied environments in which this species occupies, the olive baboons have been known to eat practically anything, and thus adapt its eating habits to whatever food source is most easily accessible to its current environment.  This species eats everything from fruits and leaves to birds and foxes.  This species is a tremendous example of natural selection, as this species is incredibly abundant and populated, which can be attributed to how easily the olive baboon can adapt to any sort of environment and any sort of diet.

Madam Berthe's Mouse Lemur:


Madam Berthe's mouse lemur is a small, endangered species from in Madagascar.  This species lives exclusively in dense forest regions on the island and makes its home in tree vines.  The species eats mostly insects, some fruits, and lizards.  This species is quite small, and the fact that it lives on the forest floor makes its food choices quite limited.  Thus, Madam Berthe's mouse lemur has to feed on whatever it can get, and due to its environmental habits that means eating the tiny insects that crawl on the trees and forest floor.  The relative lack of fruit in its diet, compared to the other species on this list, is mostly due to the fact that this species doesn't live high in the forest canopy, and thus is far from fruit sources.

Geoffroy's Spider Monkey:


Geoffroy's spider monkey exists in forest all across Central America.  This species lives high up in the forests, though also reside on the floor as well.  This species' diet almost entirely consists of fruit, which it gathers by travelling in groups across the forest.  Because this is a forest-based species and is not restricted to a specific region of its habitat, Geoffroy's spider monkey is able to travel all over and find the fruit that it desires, rather than be stuck eating just leaves and insects.  The species is not much of a predatory species, and thus seems like it acquired its propensity for fruits due to the large availability of fruits in its habitat.

Overall I think that it is interesting reading that most of these primates live in trees and eat fruits, leaves, and insects, as I thought that most primates would eat meat sources.  However, after reading of their environmental habitats, it makes sense why they would choose such plant-based diets.  It is quite interesting to read of species like the common chimpanzee that are able to live in any habitat and eat a huge variety of foods.  When I read that these sorts of species are the biggest and most populated species, it makes tons of sense to me, and only reinforces the evolutionary concepts which I've learned thus far in this class.