Frugivore - Examples

Examples

Birds are a main focus of frugivory research. An article by B.A. Loisell and J.G. Blake, Potential Consequences of Extinction of Frugivorous Birds, discusses the important role frugivorous birds have on ecosystems. The conclusions of their research indicate how the extinction of seed dispersing species could negatively affect seed removal, seed viability, and plant establishment. This article highlights the importance that seed dispersing birds have on the deposition of plant species.

Examples of seed dispersing birds are the hornbill, the toucan, the aracari, the cotinga (ex.Guianan Cock-of-the-rock), and some species of parrots. Frugivores are common in the temperate zone but mostly found in the tropics. Many frugivorous birds feed mainly on fruits until nesting season when they incorporate protein rich insects into their diet.

Many types of animals are seed dispersers. Mammals and bird species represent the majority of seed dispersing species, however, frugivorous fish, tortoises, lizards, and even amphibians also disperse seeds.

Mammals are considered frugivorous if the seed is dispersed and able to establish. One example of a mammalian frugivore is the maned wolf, or Chrysocyon brachyurus, which is found in South America. A study by J.C. Motta-Junior and K. Martins found that the maned wolf is probably an important seed disperser. The researchers found that 22.5 to 54.3 percent of the diet was fruit.

Another example of mammalian frugivores is the orangutan, whose diet consists of 65 percent fruit. Orangutans primarily eat fruit, along with young leaves, bark, flowers, honey, insects, and vines. One of their preferred foods is the fruit of the durian tree, which tastes somewhat like sweet, cheesy, garlic custard. They discard the skin, eat the flesh, and spit out the seeds.

Another example of a mammalian frugivore is the gray-bellied night monkey, also known as the owl monkey:

“Owl monkeys are frugivores and supplement their diet with flowers, insects, nectar, and leaves (Wright 1989; 1994). They prefer small, ripe fruit when available and in order to find these, they forage in large-crown trees (larger than ten meters ) (Wright 1986). Seasonal availability of fruit varies across environments. Aotus species in tropical forests eat more fruit throughout the year because it is more readily available compared to the dry forests where fruit is limited in the dry season and owl monkeys are more dependent on leaves.”

Fruit bats are another example of a mammalian frugivore. See the Megabat article about Diet and Importance.

Cassowaries are a keystone species because they spread fruit through digestion, and many seeds will not grow unless they have been digested by a cassowary.