Why Does A Chimpanzee Favours A Monkey's Brain Over Anything Else?

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Picture By Magnus Johansson - Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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Even though most of us thought that chimpanzees are plant-eaters, they are actually quite opportunistic when it comes to their prey. They would eat whatever they can get their hands on, and a monkey would be a luxurious treat. Honestly, I never knew a chimpanzee loves to eat monkeys. When it comes to nutrition, any creatures who are plant-eaters would have some problems getting micronutrients which can only be extracted from a meat i.e. vitamin B12, copper and iron. In humans, deficiency of such micronutrients can lead to various complications which include iron deficiency anaemia and megaloblastic anaemia.

Chimpanzees are thought to share a common ancestry with humans and bonobos. They are usually can be found mostly in the savannas of Africa and some tropical forests. The tallest chimpanzee measured about 1.75 metres when they stand erect (which is much taller than me) and the heaviest one recorded at 65 kilograms of weight. Like most of the animals, the size of the male chimpanzee is much larger than the female making it looks dominant, stronger and much more intimidating.

They prefer to hunt individually, though some might get into groups to catch a much more aggressive victim. They are known to kill a different kind of mammals which are much bigger than their individual size such as pigs, antelopes and monkeys (which they preferred the most). Even though they sound like a vicious primate, they eat mainly fruits which are easily available considering most of their times were spent on trees. When they wake up, they will spend most of their times (in the morning) hanging on trees staring at the sunrise. In the afternoon, they will start searching for foods (whether it is some fruits which can be easily found on trees in the tropical forest or stalk some mammals before attacking them in a group or alone).

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Picture By William Warby - Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

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Chimpanzees are highly intelligent creatures. They have fixed daily activities which signify consistency and some of them would be able to treat infections, and parasite infestations by using various plants species that can be found in their natural habitats; talk about a chimpanzee's doctor. In a study which has been conducted for 30 years at the University of Kyoto has shown that some of the chimpanzees demonstrated photographic memories. They are able to memorise photographs shown on a computer's screen in less than a second. One of the chimpanzees named Ayumu has the ability to memorise the position of a specific photograph which exceeds the memorising capability of the world champion named Ben Pridmore.

There are two forms of communication which are being used by chimpanzees to communicate with each other on a daily basis:

• Vocalisations which involve hoots, roars or screams
• Facial expressions and gestures

The factors which determine the usage of any forms of communication remain unclear, but vocalisations were usually utilised to communicate with a chimpanzee who is far away from the communicator. For a short distance communication, facial expressions and gestures were more than enough (unless they need to exert their dominance over others).

The average life expectancy for a chimpanzee who is being kept in captivity is 58 years while for the one which lives in the wild varies between 40-45 years. Even though it was speculated that the lifespan of this particular creature would not surpass 60 years, there is a chimpanzee which has been reported to live for approximately 80 years. Like any other living creatures, their longevity would depend on a variety of factors.

Chimpanzee's Obsession Over A Monkey's Brain

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Picture Source - Pxhere

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I have mentioned previously, how awesome it is for a chimpanzee if they can get a monkey as the main entree for their lunch. Apparently they have to get other micronutrients which can't be extracted from plant-based food to stay healthy. To do that, they need to eat other mammals or even cannibalised their own (the weakest among them). There are a few documentation which has been made in the past regarding cannibalism among chimpanzee.

The pattern of behaviour when eating prey varies. If they caught mammals other than monkeys or chimpanzees, they will eat whatever they can get their hand onto. They will go for the victim's thigh, breast, head, organs, whatever, as long as they can eat, they would be satisfied. When they caught a monkey, they show a different pattern of eating behaviour.

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Picture Source - Pxhere

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It will depend on how old the monkey was. If they caught a juvenile monkey, they will surely go for its brain first. If they caught an adult monkey, they will preferably go for its liver first. Only a small percentage of chimpanzees will go for its victim's brain first if the victim is an adult monkey. The brain of a mammal usually contains a high proportion of a certain type of fatty acids which can't be extracted from a plant-based food. These fatty acids are thought to improve brain functions while having some sort of protective effects against some disease process.

A juvenile monkey possesses an underdevelop skull which means it is easier for a chimpanzee to smash through the skull, making its way to suck out the vital organ in the head slowly, savouring the moment while enjoying the delicious treat. In a study published in February 2018 by Ian C. Gilby and Danial Wawrzyniak involving 29 events of monkey-eating among 8 adult chimpanzees, 91% of the time, they eat the brain first before devouring the other organs.

In an adult monkey, the skull is fully developed which make it hard for a chimpanzee to get access to the delicious brain. This would mean, they would go for another organ which has a high-fat content while being easily accessible; the liver. In the same study fo the 29 monkey-eating events, if it was an adult monkey, only about 44% of the time, those chimpanzees would go for the brain. The rate was nearly half which indirectly tells how delicious a brain is for a chimpanzee. They would first try to separate the monkey's head from its body. After that, they would bite the monkey's skull until it gets access to the brain, sucking it out, sharing with the other chimpanzees. Honestly, it creeps me out!

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Picture Source - Pxhere

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In a few occasions, chimpanzees cannibalise the member of its community to satisfy their desire for the delicious brain. A rivalry is one of the factors which explained the reasons why they cannibalise their own. They will attack each other and whoever falls would be the delicious treat for the other members who are witnessing the battle. There are some cases which have been reported in a study conducted in 2017 regarding the action of a male chimpanzee who stole a newborn chimpanzee from its mother to eat it. In the past, some scientists were wondering, why a female chimpanzee prefers to stay in isolation while giving birth to its children. Well, you get the answer now!

Chimpanzees are currently listed as one of the endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Their populations have been declining significantly since the 80s as a consequence of human's activities.

References and further reading materials

• Chimpanzee - Britannica Retrieved May 14th, 2018
• Chimpanzee - Wikipedia Retrieved May 14th, 2018
• Chimpanzee - World Wildlife Fund Retrieved May 14th, 2018
• Chimps Seen Sucking Brains from Monkeys' Heads Retrieved May 14th, 2018
• Meat Eating by Wild Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii): Effects of Prey Age on Carcass Consumption Sequence Retrieved May 14th, 2018

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