Lemurs

Smallest species primarily consume fruit and insects, while the larger species lean more toward an herbivores diet, consuming mostly plant material. Many lemurs that eat leaves tend to do so during times of fruit scarcity, sometimes suffering weight loss as a result. Some Lemurs have also developed the ability to chew through seeds, these seeds are quite hard and many monkeys have had issues eating in the past.

Three of the five species utilize different dietary patterns and their underlying physiological traits to allow them to coexist: fork-marked lemurs feed on tree gum, sportive lemurs feed on leaves, and giant mouse lemurs sometimes feed on insect secretions. The other two species, the gray mouse lemur and the fat-tailed dwarf lemur, avoid competition through reduced activity. The gray mouse lemur uses stages of intentional inactivity, while the fat-tailed dwarf lemur hibernates totally.

The variation in feed preference and lifestyle is due to the fact that Madagascar, where lemurs live, not only contains two radically different climates; the rain-forests (east) and the dry regions (west), but also lemurs are made to deal with extended drought to floods. Lemurs spend most of their time in the trees their as there environmental extremes call for safety in the trees, lemurs are made to endure.

Spider Monkey

The diets of spider monkeys consist of mostly fruits and nuts however, if food is scarce, they will eat insects and insect larvae, bark and honey. They also tend to feed on young leaves, flowers, roots and on occasion bird eggs. Although it is rare, some spider monkeys have been known to eat small animal prey. (Omnivorous)

Spider Monkeys can be found in the tropical rain forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil. Because of their environment spider monkeys are usually found in the upper canopies of the rain forests they inhabit. Spider Monkeys eat while hanging, climbing or moving, they thrive in the evergreen and mangrove forests and almost never come down to ground level. 

Baboon

Baboons are opportunistic omnivores and selective feeders that carefully choose their food. Grass makes up a large part of their diet, along with berries, seeds, pods, blossoms, leaves, roots, bark and sap from a variety of plants. Baboons also eat insects and small quantities of meat, such as fish, shellfish, hares, birds, and sometimes slammer monkeys; they have also been known to eat young small antelopes.

 Baboons are found in a surprisingly varied habitat and are extremely adaptable. The major requirements for any habitat seem to be a water sources and safe sleeping places in either tall trees or on cliff faces. 

Gibbons

Gibbons thrive on the abundant fruit trees in their tropical range in Southeast Asia, and are especially fond of figs. They will occasionally supplement their diet with leaves, insects, leaves, flowers, seeds, tree bark and tender plant shoots. They have also been seen eating spiders, bird eggs and small birds.  

Gibbons have quite an advantage of being able to swing out and grab fruits growing at the end of branches, which limits competition for their favorite foods. They also do not have any natural predators in their environment as they are extremely difficult to catch.

Chimpanzee

Chimpanzees live in a wide variety of habitat types that includes dry savannas, evergreen rain-forests, swamp forests, and dry woodland. To live across such different habitat types, chimpanzees must be quite adaptable, just as the Baboon (and many others).

The chimpanzee diet consists mainly of fruit, but they also eat leaves and leaf buds, and the remaining part of their diet consists of a mixture of seeds, blossoms, stems, pith, bark and resin Chimpanzees are highly preferential to eating fruit, even when it is not abundant. They supplement their mainly vegetarian diet with insects, birds, birds' eggs, honey, soil, and small to medium-sized mammals (including other primates). They spend about seven hours a day eating, though chimpanzees love fruit they also especially like termites, these termites provide the most nutrition for them, they still prefer fruit (i.e. I think they just like the work/activity of getting the termites out of the mound). It is interesting to note that since chimps do eat bird eggs and hunt chicks/ birds they generally will hunt in a group, it seems as though they are aware that success is a cooperative effort.  

Summary

In my findings I will conclude, all the animals reviewed are under enormous environmental pressures and competition as their habitats are disappearing at an alarmingly rapid rate. This aside, the common traits that seems to be passed is the ability to be omnivorous. This trait seems to be more quantitative in nature as it is highly affected by the environmental factors as well as it (diet) has continuous distributions, not just too discrete classes and it is a trait that is affected by many genes. Every listed animal above would prefer to be vegetarian in nature; however, whether it is due to extreme drought or availability, their living conditions have pushed the boundaries of what they are able to process as nutrition. In the end the animals above are all omnivores, regardless of their food preference.    

-Maria Hernandez