Specialised digestive adaptations within the hindgut of a colobine monkey
In mammal herbivores, fiber digestion usually occurs predominantly in either the foregut or the hindgut. Reports of mechanisms showing synergistic function in both gut regions for the digestion of fiber and other nutrients in wild mammals are rare since it requires integrative study of anatomy, physiology and gut microbiome. Colobine monkeys (Colobinae) are folivorous, with high-fiber foods fermented primarily in their foreguts. A few colobine species live in temperate regions so obtaining energy from fiber during the winter is essential.
