While discussing lifestyles with a vegan buddy of mine I told him that I had read somewhere that gorillas actually eat a high fat, moderate protein diet. Of course he was dumfounded, as he always uses gorillas as an example of a vegetarian species to emulate.
I happened across this article today that does a good job explaining the details:
"The gorilla mainly eats highly fibrous leafy vegetables and some wild fruits that are not even closely as sugary as the highly bred fruit you will find in your grocery store. The impressive gorilla waistline is due to them having a far bigger gastrointestinal tract and foremost a greater capacity for fermentation of fibers in their colon. Carbohydrate 15,8 % Protein 24,3 % Fat 2,5 % SCFA (short chain fatty acids) 57,3 %"
Just another reason that we are not evolved to be vegetarian (I have nothing against vegetarian's) and attempting to emulate the diet of an entirely different species is not without risk. Interesting how selecting for a bigger brain results in a smaller gut structure overall.
