Do you like to eat smelly food? It smells like monkey shit!

Although Brother Rong was born in Shanghai, he grew up in Beijing.

He is a true northerner.

So when I first ate snacks in the south,

Quite shocking!

What mango dipped in soy sauce with porridge?

Why put kelp in mung bean soup?

Finally understand

Southern friends are entertained by us

It reminds me of the mood when I was a child drinking soy milk.

But once you accept this setting,

I still can't help but say "It smells so good".

If you think about it carefully, hairy eggs, roasted silkworm pupae, and kudzu worms;

Durian, stinky tofu, snail rice noodle...

Human beings’ thoughts on eating are always so unique.

In fact, it’s not just humans.

There are also huge dietary differences among the same species in the animal kingdom.

Living in the Ruikotara Forest in Congo

Bonobos,

A unique eating habit.

It can make compatriots living in other regions drop their jaws.

Because they - eat shit.

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Of course, there are some rules for eating shit.

I don't eat all kinds of shit.

They were rolling around in the shit,

Finally, I picked out a kind of undigested black fruit.

Remove the seeds.

Then eat the flesh that has just been pulled out.

Speaking of the reason for picking fruit from shit,

We have to start with this fruit.

This is the fruit of the African olive.

Rich in fat and protein,

That's a good source of nutrition for the bonobos.

It is also a favorite snack of the locals.

The only drawback is that

Their flesh contains a lot of tannins.

Just like astringent persimmons, it greatly affects the taste.

The key is that tannins will also combine with protein and iron.

It hinders digestion and makes my stomach uncomfortable if I eat too much.

When bonobos eat it in most areas,

They will bite the fruit directly.

Spit out the seeds and chew them.

Mix the pulp with tannin-binding proteins from saliva.

Reduces obstruction to digestion.

The bonobos in the Koluikotala Forest are stubborn.

I won't chew it! A 3 cm big fruit? I'll eat it raw!

Then the next day, everyone turned over their shit together.

Find the fruit and eat it again.

The researchers speculated that

The fruit may be softer after one digestion.

It is easier to remove seeds and improve eating efficiency;

At the same time,

Tannins are also broken down somewhat in the digestive tract.

Eating fruit is also easier to digest.

But I guess other bonobos saw this scene.

It should be the first time with cat

Watching the owner eat durian is a reaction.

Will they always be disgusted, or join the shit-eating army?

I don’t know about this Brother Rong.

But locally,

That's been passed down from generation to generation.

—A suckling bonobo

It is watching mom and dad turning over shit;

When they grow up, they will know.

Today I ate raw olives.

I can dig it out of the shit and eat it again tomorrow.

This kind of "local food culture" among animals,

Nor is it unique to bonobos.

Last century,

Animal researchers in Japan

Place sweet potatoes on a small island called Xingdao.

In order to lure the monkeys to an open area where they can be easily observed.

One day two years later, the researchers suddenly discovered that

There is a one and a half year old female monkey

I picked up the sweet potato from the beach but didn't eat it.

But came to the creek,

Wash off the sand with water before eating.

Wow, such a delicate little fairy appeared.

Then you must learn it.

So the word spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred.

A few years later, most of the monkeys on the island

They all became delicate little monkeys washing sweet potatoes.

Other researchers found that

Chimpanzees in Gombe, Tanzania.

They are used to using grass leaves and tree bark as fishing rods.

Reach into the termite nest to catch termites to eat.

In Asilik, Senegal,

Chimpanzees like to use twigs and leaf veins as fishing rods.

The chimpanzees in Central Africa are more simple and brutal.

Use tools to make holes directly on the termite nest.

Also in Africa,

Chimpanzees dancing, banging tree trunks, high-fiving, etc.

There are also regional differences.

Looks like humans.

Primates within the same species

Have different so-called cultural characteristics.

It really cannot be explained by adapting to a specific environment.

It seems that the smarter the animal,

The easier it is to develop traits other than survival!

Source: China Digital Science and Technology Museum