Diets of yearling female primates (Papio cynocephalus) predict lifetime fitness.

The foraging of yearling baboons (Papio cynocephalus) was studied in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. The nutrient content of the diets of individual females was compared with the composition of energy-maximizing optimal diets. Energy in the diets of all individuals fell appreciably short of their respective optima. Nonetheless, linear combinations of just two variables, protein intakes in excess of requirements and proximity of energy intakes to those specified in the optimal diets, were sufficient to provide good predictions of reproductive lifespans, numbers of infants and juveniles produced, and probability of surviving to adulthood.