Do Monkeys Eat Meat and Insects?
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Do Monkeys Eat Meat and Insects?
Many monkeys eat insects, and some species occasionally eat eggs, small vertebrates, or other animal foods. That does not mean every monkey is a frequent hunter. Animal foods can be central for some small primates, supplemental for many omnivores, and rare or absent for species adapted mainly to leaves or fruit.
This article is part of the Monkey Food, Diet and Foraging Guide.
Insects are common in many monkey diets
Insects can provide protein, fat, and nutrients in a compact package. Monkeys may eat ants, termites, beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, spiders, and larvae. The exact prey depends on habitat, season, body size, and the monkey's ability to find and handle it.
Small prey can be hidden inside bark, dead wood, curled leaves, seed pods, or soil. Finding it may require close visual inspection, careful listening, smell, probing fingers, or the ability to pull plant material apart.
Capuchins are skilled extractive foragers
Capuchin monkeys are well known for exploring objects and searching difficult places for food. They may overturn debris, inspect holes, break open protected items, and manipulate materials with their hands. Some populations also use tools, although tool traditions vary by place and group.
Read How Capuchin Monkeys Use Tools to Find Food for more detail.
Do monkeys hunt vertebrates?
Some monkeys opportunistically eat eggs, nestlings, lizards, frogs, or other small animals. In a few species, coordinated pursuit or active hunting has been observed. However, this behavior should not be generalized to all monkeys. For many species, vertebrate prey represents only a small part of a much broader diet.
Descriptions also need to distinguish monkeys from apes. Chimpanzees, for example, are apes—not monkeys—and their hunting behavior belongs to a different primate category.
Why animal foods can be seasonal
Insect populations rise and fall with rain, temperature, plant growth, and breeding cycles. A monkey may eat more insects when larvae are abundant or when fruit is scarce. Other species may target insects year-round because their small body size and feeding strategy make animal prey especially valuable.
This flexibility helps explain why a diet label such as “fruit eater” does not describe every meal. A monkey can rely heavily on fruit and still search for insects.
Young monkeys learn how to handle prey
Capturing and processing insects requires timing. Young monkeys may watch adults, practice grabbing moving objects, and learn which prey is safe or worth the effort. Social learning can reduce the risks of testing unfamiliar foods alone.
Food learning connects directly to the Monkey Intelligence and Behavior Guide.
Are monkeys carnivores?
Most monkeys that eat animal foods are better described as omnivorous rather than carnivorous. Their diets combine plant foods and animal foods in proportions that vary by species. Leaf-specialist monkeys may consume little animal matter, while some small monkeys regularly depend on insects.
Frequently asked questions
Do monkeys eat ants and termites?
Some do. Ants and termites can be abundant and nutritious, but their importance differs among species and habitats.
Do monkeys eat birds?
Some omnivorous monkeys may take eggs or nestlings occasionally. It is not a universal behavior.
Do monkeys eat other monkeys?
Such events are not normal dietary behavior for most monkeys. Rare aggression, predation, or scavenging should not be treated as a standard food category.
Can people feed meat to monkeys?
No. Visitors should not feed wild monkeys any food. Managed captive diets should be determined by qualified animal-care professionals.