Monkeys are omnivores. This means that they eat meat and plant-based foods. Most monkeys eat nuts, fruits, seeds and flowers. Some monkeys also eat meat in the form of bird's eggs, small lizards, insects and spiders.

Do monkeys and apes eat meat?

The diets of nearly all monkeys and apes (except the leaf-eaters) are composed of fruits, nuts, leaves, insects, and sometimes the odd snack of a bird or a lizard (see more about chimpanzees). ... And chimps eat more mammal meat than any of the other apes or any of the monkeys.

Will gorillas eat meat?

While some zoo specimens are known to eat meat, wild gorillas eat only plants and fruit, along with the odd insect—as far as scientists know (see video of wild gorillas feasting on figs). ... For example, gorillas are known to eat ants that scavenge the carcasses and bones of monkeys and other mammals.