Monkeys like bananas mainly because bananas are sweet and provide a good source of energy. Bananas are fruits that contain sugars and nutrients, making them a tasty and energy-rich food. In the wild, monkeys primarily eat fruits, so they are naturally predisposed to liking sweet fruits like bananas. Additionally, bananas grow in the tropical regions where many monkeys live, so they are a convenient part of their diet.
However, the bananas that monkeys eat in nature are quite different from the cultivated bananas humans eat today. Wild bananas have seeds and are less sweet, while supermarket bananas (like the Cavendish variety) are much sweeter and more sugary than wild bananas. These sweeter bananas can be unhealthy for monkeys if fed regularly, causing dental problems and even diabetes, so zoos often avoid feeding such bananas to monkeys.
Thus, monkeys like bananas because they are sweet, nutrient-rich fruits that fit well into their natural diet, but the common sweet bananas humans eat today are more of a treat than a staple for them.
