The chimpanzee is one of humanity’s closest living relatives. Observing their diverse feeding habits often leads people to question the fundamental nature of their diet. They spend much of their time eating plants but occasionally engage in sophisticated, coordinated hunting of other mammals. Determining the correct biological classification requires a detailed look at the proportion and type of food they consume.
Understanding Dietary Labels
Biological classifications group animals based on their primary source of nutrition. A herbivore obtains its energy almost exclusively from plant matter, like leaves, roots, and fruits. Conversely, a carnivore subsists on the flesh of other animals, with many true carnivores requiring nutrients found only in meat. The omnivore classification is given to species that consume a regular mixture of both plant and animal matter. Scientists further categorize carnivores by the percentage of meat in their diet, which helps place species that do not fit neatly into the simple herbivore or carnivore categories.
The Predominance of Plant Matter
The foundational diet of wild chimpanzees consists overwhelmingly of plant material, forming the vast majority of their caloric intake throughout the year. Fruits are the most significant component of their diet, often comprising between 60% and 80% of their total food consumption. Chimpanzees show a strong preference for ripe fruits, which provide a high concentration of easily digestible carbohydrates and sugars.
Beyond fruit, they regularly consume other forms of vegetation to supplement their nutrition. This includes young leaves, flowers, bark, seeds, and the soft pith found inside plant stems. These items provide essential fiber, water, and various minerals that balance the sugar-rich fruit intake. Invertebrates, such as termites and ants, are also a routine part of their daily foraging, providing a source of protein and amino acids. These insects are often acquired through sophisticated tool use, like using modified sticks to “fish” them out of mounds or nests.
Organized Hunting and Protein Acquisition
The chimpanzee’s reputation for meat-eating is due to their complex, intentional hunting of vertebrate animals, a behavior rare among other great apes. These hunts are highly social events, often involving adult males forming parties to track and corner prey. This cooperative effort includes roles such as drivers, blockers, and catchers, demonstrating a high level of coordination. Their preferred vertebrate prey includes small and medium-sized mammals, most notably red colobus monkeys.
Meat provides a concentrated source of high-quality protein and fat, valuable for growth and reproductive health. Despite the complexity of these hunts, the meat acquired is an irregular food source. Vertebrate meat typically accounts for a very small fraction of their diet, often representing less than 5% of their total yearly caloric intake. Following a successful hunt, the meat is often shared socially among participants.
This sporadic meat consumption contrasts sharply with the purely opportunistic consumption seen in true herbivores. Observations show that in some communities, hunting may occur as frequently as four to ten times per month, demonstrating a consistent, intentional strategy for acquiring animal protein.
The Final Classification: Chimpanzees as Omnivores
Based on the evidence of their feeding habits, chimpanzees are definitively classified as omnivores. This classification is warranted because they consistently consume both plant and animal matter, even though the proportions are heavily skewed toward plants. An animal that intentionally seeks out and consumes vertebrate meat, even in small quantities, cannot be considered a true herbivore. The chimpanzee’s dietary profile sits on the far end of the omnivore spectrum, closer to a herbivore than to a carnivore. Their diet is far removed from that of a hypercarnivore like a lion. The combination of a plant-dominated diet and the intentional acquisition of animal protein places the chimpanzee firmly in the omnivore category.