Macronutrient composition of olive baboon (Papio anubis) milk: A comparison to rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) milk.

This study was designed to (1) characterize the macronutrient composition of olive baboon (Papio anubis) milk, (2) compare baboon milk composition to that of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), and (3) evaluate the association between the proportion of milk energy derived from protein and relative growth rate within anthropoid primates. A single milk sample was collected from each of eight lactating olive baboons ranging between 47- and 129-days postparturition and six rhesus macaques from 15- to 92-days living at the same institution under identical management conditions. Macronutrient composition (water, fat, protein sugar, and ash) was determined using standard techniques developed at the Nutrition Laboratory at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Baboon milk on average contained 86.0% ± 0.6% water, 4.7% ± 0.5% fat, 1.6% ± 0.04% protein, 7.3% ± 0.07% sugar, and 0.165% ± 0.007% ash. Baboon milk gross energy (GE) averaged 0.81 ± 0.04 kcal/g with 51.9% ± 2.6% from fat, 11.8% ± 0.7% from protein, and 36.2% ± 2.0% from sugar. Baboon milk demonstrated strong similarity to milk composition of the closely phylogenetically related rhesus macaque (86.1% ± 0.3% water, 4.1% ± 0.4% fat, 1.69% ± 0.05% protein, 7.71% ± 0.08% sugar, 0.19% ± 0.01% ash, and 0.78 kcal/g). There was no statistical difference between baboon and macaque milk in the proportions of energy from fat, sugar, and protein. Baboon milk can be described as a high sugar, moderate fat, and low protein milk with moderate energy density, which is consistent with their lactation strategy characterized by frequent, on-demand nursing and relatively slow life history compared to nonprimate mammal taxa. The milk energy from protein of both baboon and macaque (12.8% ± 0.3%) milk was intermediate between the protein milk energy of platyrrhine (19.3%-23.2%) and hominoid (8.9%-12.6%) primates, consistent with their relative growth rates also being intermediate. Compared to these cercopithecid monkeys, platyrrhine primates have both higher relative growth rates and higher milk energy from protein, while apes tend to be lower in both.

Food choices and habitat use by the Tana River yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus): a preliminary report on five years of data.

The Tana River Primate National Reserve, Kenya (TRPNR) yellow baboons' (Papio cynocephalus) long-term habitat usage and food preferences are relatively under-reported. The author presents a preliminary food catalog and analyses of 5 years of data (January 88-October 92; n=55 mo; 875 observation days; 4,893 hourly scans) for the Mchelelo troop (x=75 individuals). The author predicted that the TRPNR baboons would spend more time on the much larger savanna, show a seasonal preference for fruits/seeds, and show rainfall-influenced food preferences. Although more time was spent on the proportionately larger savanna than in the forests, more than 42% of the observations occurred in forests that accounted for only 8.7% of the area regularly used by the baboons. Fruits/seeds consumption was high throughout the period and a significantly higher proportion of each month's observations reflected fruits/seeds rather than grasses/herbs/corms consumption. Two forest species' (Phoenix reclinata and Hyphaene compressa) were particularly important. Regression analysis showed fruits/seeds consumption predicted most of the grasses/herbs/corms consumption variance. There was no statistical difference in rainy vs. non-rainy season fruits/seeds or grasses/herbs/corms consumption. One implication of these data is the baboons' potential impact on the critically endangered Tana River mangabeys (Cercocebus galeritus), which also rely heavily on P. reclinata and H. compressa. Another is what the "savanna" designation may or may not tell us about baboons.

The nutritional content of Tana River yellow baboon (Papio cynocephalus) foods in a partially forested habitat.

Here we report the first dietary macronutrient and mineral content information for a little-studied yellow baboon group (i.e., the Mchelelo troop) at the Tana River Primate National Reserve, Kenya. We compare forest to savanna samples for this troop found in a partially forested habitat. Observations conducted between 1988 and 1992 determined our list of foods. Subsequently, flora samples, representing 56 species, were collected between April 2008 and March 2009 with nutrient content determined via standard procedures for fiber, gross energy, ash/minerals, crude protein, and crude fat/lipids. Concentrations of specific minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, zinc) were also measured. We predicted forest items would be higher in gross energy and lipids and savanna items higher in crude protein, fiber, and minerals. Our analyses support only the predicted difference in crude protein for savanna items for the overall dataset. In our examination of the top 15 foods, savanna items had significantly higher crude protein, ash, magnesium, and manganese while forest items had higher gross energy. Right-angled mixture triangles show some clustering by location but with substantial overlap in values. Our data provide further indication of the particularity and purposefulness of dietary choices made by primates. They also contribute to the broader discussions of primate nutritional ecology and are a first step towards an examination of macronutrient balancing for this group. Finally, we discuss the impact heavy reliance upon forest products by a "savanna species" may have upon competitors and forest composition. Ultimately, we show that there is still much to be learned about baboon nutrition.