What is the essential nutritional contribution of consuming insects like caterpillars and grubs?
Answer
It provides essential animal protein and fat supplements
Although insect consumption constitutes only a trace amount, up to about 5% of their diet, it plays a vital supplementary role. Plant-based diets, even those rich in fruit pulp, often present deficiencies in specific micronutrients and protein required for maintenance and growth. By opportunistically ingesting insects such as caterpillars, ants, or grubs, woolly monkeys gain significant boosts of necessary amino acids and fats that are typically limited when relying purely on fruit and leaf matter.
Related Questions
What term describes woolly monkeys being primarily centered on ripe fruit in their diet?What percentage of their diet can ripe fruit constitute during peak availability for *Lagothrix*?What secondary vegetative matter do woolly monkeys consume when fruit is scarce?What is the essential nutritional contribution of consuming insects like caterpillars and grubs?Which South American countries constitute the range for woolly monkeys?What characteristic behavior defines woolly monkeys when they locate a good feeding spot?What digestive adaptation is necessary due to their high-fruit and moderate-leaf diet?What specific woolly monkey species is noted as being found only in the Andes of Peru?Why is covering large distances daily a potential ecological pressure for *Lagothrix* troops?What dietary balance forms the foundation of a woolly monkey troop's well-being in the wild?