Diet of the Proboscis Monkey Proboscis monkeys are omnivores. They eat shoots, seeds, flowers, leaves, bark, unripe fruits, and occasional insects. They are seasonal folivores and frugivores. They eat food from over 90 species of plants. The leaves they prefer are the young leaves. The fruit part that's most eaten is the seeds and not the flesh. Ferns are also sometimes eaten and crops such as bananas are raided. Seasonally, there are shifts in food consumption. Proboscis monkeys eat mostly fruit from January to May, and mostly leaves from June to December.
The proboscis monkeys have large pot bellies. They have a unique digestive system that allows them to use leaves as their main food supply. Their stomachs are divided into compartments and filled with cellulose digesting bacteria. The bacteria help digest the leaves and neutralize toxins in certain leaves. Their stomach contents make up one quarter of their body weight. |
This is one of the proboscis monkey's predators the crocodile.
This is also one of the proboscis monkey's preadtors. It is a python.
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Predators
The Proboscis monkey’s predators include crocodiles, clouded leopards, eagles, monitor lizards, and pythons. One of the main predators is man, due to logging and deforestation. They are also poisoned by farmers because they raid crops. The proboscis monkey is also hunted for food in some regions. They are also hunted recreationally and for bait for lizards, snakes, and crocodiles.