Relationship between feeding time and food intake in hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas) and the value of feeding time as predictor of food intake

The relationship among time spent feeding, number of feeding bouts, feeding bout length, and the amount of food ingested was determined in a study of 18 hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas) at the German Primate Center (DPZ). There was considerable within- and between-subject variation in all four va riables. Feeding time and number of feeding bouts could explain only 30% an d 40%, respectively, of the variation in the ingested amount of food. No re lationship was found between feeding bout length and amount of food ingeste d. The reason for these weak relationships is the high within- and between- subject variation in ingestion rate. If the amount of ingested food is esti mated by multiplying mean ingestion rates of various subject categories by feeding time, deviations from true amounts range from 8% to 50%. A predicti on of feeding success solely by measuring feeding time or number of feeding bouts is therefore not recommended and an estimation of food intake from i ngestion rates and feeding time has to be treated with caution. (C) 1999 Wi ley-Liss, Inc.