Last Updated: December 2, 2020
Today, let’s talk about the famous old primates – the monkeys. Yes, the primates from whom humans mutated – according to science atleast! The talk is about bananas. Here is the question, ever wondered why monkeys love bananas?
Forget about the innuendos in movies and television stereotypes where monkeys are always scrambling for bananas. Even in the wild, monkeys seem to go the extra mile to binge on that sweet banana.
But why?
1. Monkeys Love Bananas Because they are Greedy
Yes, you read it right.
Monkeys are greedy and are on the lookout for food types that are easy to chew and swallow. Bananas are soft, easy to chew, and of course easy to swallow.
Monkeys live in fear of other primates grabbing their meal because peers do not always have the courtesy to first ask.
It is common for monkeys to always grab whatever other primates are eating. They are always sneaking around waiting for a loose end of a banana! Unless of course, it is the baby monkey that needs to be fed.
The very greedy ones will even eat bananas without removing the peels. Talk about having your cake and eating it too.
If you have also been keen on their eating habits, you will also notice how monkeys are always in a hurry to eat and on the lookout for uninvited guests.
2. Bananas are Great for Glucose
Monkeys are busy primates and on a normal day, will cover great distances in the hunt for food, flinging between trees, and fighting each other.
These take a toll on their energy levels, and just like humans, they are always looking for ways to replenish lost glucose. Their brains, muscles, and heart need additional energy to continue working.
In addition, they will use considerable energy to coo, hoot, and grunt all day, and will need a bite when they get to sit down.
Bananas are rich in relevant sugars necessary to replace the lost energy and are fantastic for boosting memory and the mood, all of which are important for life inside the jungle.
3. Yellow banana is a ‘superfood’
Yes, monkeys too need nutritious meals in order to stay healthy and active.
The daily hustle bustles that monkeys go through demands that they charge up their bodies with the right nutrients in order to keep up. The yellow fruit is the monkeys electrolyte booster and a substitute for energy drinks to keep them alert and running all day.
Bananas are also known to ease digestion and are good sources of vitamin B6. This is very important for the brain, nervous system, and immune system.
Finally, bananas are can help remove extra sodium monkeys, a function they perform in humans as well. This allows the body to relax the blood vessel walls, in order to control blood pressure.
4. Monkeys Have Taste Buds
Yes, monkeys too have a sense of taste and want to explore whatever good is in the offering. They are omnivorous just like humans and will enjoy a vast variety of foods. Fruits happen to be top of the list but they will eat just anything – cabbages, seeds, insects, and even tree barks and twigs when the going gets tough.
Bananas happen to be a special treat because of the sweet taste and the aromatic flavor, absent in many other fruits.
A Word of Caution
Whereas monkeys love bananas it is also true bananas do not usually grow naturally in the wild, which is the habitat of monkeys. This makes the fruit kind of foreign to them and should be served sparingly to some primate species.
Chimpanzees and gorillas develop diabetes and other health complications when fed too many bananas!
Also true, the bananas grown in our farms are by-products of manipulation in the labs and therefore contaminated with unpleasant ingredients. Avoid flinging too many hybrid bananas in the zoos and other parks!
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