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Food preference and nutrient composition in captive bonobos (Pan paniscus).
Jonas Verspeek1,2, Jeroen M G Stevens3
1Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. jonas.verspeek@uantwerpen.be.
Primates; Journal of Primatology
|April 5, 2020
Summary
Bonobos, like other great apes, prefer energy-rich, low-fiber foods. Their food preferences are driven by nutrient content, particularly carbohydrates and total energy, guiding captive diets and research.
Area of Science:
- Primate nutrition
- Animal behavior
- Comparative psychology
Background:
- Great ape diets in the wild and captivity reveal preferences for low-fiber, high-sugar foods.
- This suggests shared nutrient preferences drive frugivory and dietary overlap among species like chimpanzees and gorillas.
- No comparable nutritional preference studies existed for bonobos.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the food preferences of captive bonobos.
- To compare bonobo nutritional preferences with those of other great apes.
- To correlate food preferences with the nutritional composition of various food items.
Main Methods:
- Paired-choice feeding trials were conducted with five captive bonobos.
- Twenty-three familiar and ten novel food items were presented.
- Nutritional analysis of food items was correlated with preference data.
Main Results:
- Bonobos exhibited a clear rank order in food preference, with fruits favored over vegetables.
- Preferences for familiar foods correlated positively with total energy and carbohydrate content.
- Preferences also showed negative correlations with water and several micronutrients (e.g., sodium, iron).
- Novel food preferences also correlated positively with energy and carbohydrate content.
Conclusions:
- Bonobo food preferences align with those of other great apes, supporting a common nutrient-driven dietary pattern.
- These findings suggest that shared preferences for specific nutrients may explain the frugivorous diets observed in great apes.
- Understanding bonobo food preferences is crucial for optimizing captive diets and for applications in behavioral research and training.
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