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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 18, 2025

Assaying Predatory Feeding Behaviors in Pristionchus and Other Nematodes

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Published on: September 4, 2016

Myrmecovory in Neotropical primates.

Nadja I Risch Ferreira^1,2, Manfred Verhaagh³, Eckhard W Heymann⁴

¹Abteilung Soziobiologie/Anthropologie, Georg-August Universität Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.

Primates; Journal of Primatology

|September 29, 2021

Summary

Myrmecovory, or ant consumption, is common in Neotropical primates, with diverse foraging techniques observed. However, ants typically form a small part of their diet, and tool use for ant-eating is absent in these primates.

Keywords:

Ant defences Foraging technics Formicidae Insectivory Platyrrhini Predation

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Published on: October 4, 2024

Area of Science:

Primatology
Ecology
Zoology

Background:

Ants are abundant in Neotropical ecosystems, serving as a significant food source for many animals.
Myrmecovory, the consumption of ants, is a known feeding behavior in various animal groups.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the prevalence and patterns of myrmecovory in Neotropical primates.
To analyze the diversity of ant species consumed and foraging techniques employed by these primates.

Main Methods:

Literature review of scientific publications reporting ant consumption by Neotropical primates.
Analysis of dietary data and foraging behaviors described in the literature.

Main Results:

Myrmecovory is reported in 57 taxa of Neotropical primates (out of 217 species), spanning 18 genera.
Ants constitute a higher proportion of the diet in genera like Cebus and Sapajus, but are generally consumed in low quantities by other groups.
Primates consume ants from seven subfamilies, utilizing various foraging methods from simple picking to nest destruction, without reported tool use.

Conclusions:

Myrmecovory is widespread among Neotropical primates, though it represents a minor dietary component on average.
The varied foraging techniques and lack of tool use suggest that tool-assisted myrmecovory in hominids likely evolved due to enhanced cognitive abilities rather than solely in response to ant defenses.