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Name:
Fiona
Weliky Date:
10/9/21 or
Zoo:
Bronx Zoo
Instructor: Gorgone Adelphi University Observing Living Primates NOTE: Along with turning in this assignment please also email a photo of yourself at the actual zoo in front of a primate exhibit. This should be sent to my email at LGorgone@adelphi.edu. If you do not send a photo you will receive NO CREDIT for completing the assignment. OBJECTIVES
- Observe diversity of primate behavior and locomotion
- Practice using field observation methods SECTION 1: Instructions Primates are our closest living relatives, share nearly all our DNA, and provide important information about our biology and behavior. At the Bronx Zoo, we can observe living primates and their behaviors, rather than just their skeletons. Keep in mind though, that animals in captivity may not display the same behaviors as in the wild and often do things they do not do in the wild. This assignment combines three aspects of primate biology—classification and morphology, locomotion, and behavior—in an exercise to understand and compare living primates. Please read the lab before you go to the zoo, so you know what you need to do. The Bronx Zoo is located at 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460 The easiest option is driving, however parking is expensive, so I recommend carpooling with some friends or classmates to make an day out of it. You can also take the #2 subway from Penn station to the Pelham Parkway stop and head west to the zoo’s Bronx River entrance (Gate B). Until April 3 the zoo is only open until 4:30 PM and the houses where most of the primates are close at 4:00 PM so try to get there as early as possible.
The zoo’s primates are located in the following buildings:
- Congo Gorilla Forest: Gorilla, Mandrill
- Jungle World: Ebony Langur, White-Cheeked Gibbon
- Baboon Reserve: Gelada Baboon
- Madagascar!: Ring-tailed Lemur, Red Ruffed Lemur, Coquerel’s Sifaka, Collared Lemur
- Children’s Zoo: Squirrel Monkey NOTE: While you may go to the zoo with other students, you are to collect data individually (i.e., each student is responsible for collecting her/his own set of observations and answering the questions to follow).
lesser ape species, one monkey species, and one strepsirrhine species. (In the unlikely event that one of these taxa has no animals on display, please replace the observation with that of another primate of your choice that is on display.) For each species, you will describe the composition of the group (the number of individuals and their age and sex) and your observations about the animals’ social interactions, locomotion, and communication. In particular, try to note differences in behavior between adult males, adult females, infants, and juveniles.
1. Social behavio r How do the individuals in the group interact with each other? Behaviors you observe may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Agonistic (aggressive) behavior
- Dominant/submissive behavior
- Affiliative behavior, particularly grooming
- Play behavior
- Sexual/mounting behavior 2. Locomotion Forms of primate locomotion include…
- Vertical clinging and leaping (VCL) - animals push off from vertical support, turn around in midair and land on another tree feet-first
- Quadrupedal running and leaping - animals move along top of branches on all fours, leap from tree to tree using tails as rudders
- Brachiation - locomotion in the trees in which individuals move below the branches using only their forelimbs; includes pendulum-like arm-swinging
- Knuckle walking or Fist walking - quadrupedal walking in which the weight of the body is supported on the backs of the middle segments of the fingers (or fist), have tough hairless skin on fingers and strong wrists
- Bipedalism - walking upright on two legs (Only hominins do this regularly!) Describe how the methods of locomotion you observe are related to the animals' anatomy. What physical features help the animals move? These may include tail form, location of special friction skin (like skin on our palm), form of nails, long legs or ankles, long arms, flexible or rigid shoulders, grasping or flat feet, bare knuckles, long curved fingers, curved spine, deep chest, etc. 3. Communication Communication can take several forms. In primates, you may observe the following communicative behaviors:
- Olfactory – smelling of one animal by another; "marking" (urinating, licking, or rubbing a part of the body against part of the environment which is then smelled by another animal)
- Tactile – grooming; hand clasping or embrace; kissing; attention-getting touch
- Visual – postures (rigid or relaxed); gestures (aggressive gestures include raised eyebrows or open mouth display, "rushes," shaking stick, slapping ground or cage; appeasing gestures include bowing to ground; presenting hand, face, or hindquarters; holding up one
hand); facial expressions (aggressive include stares, eye brow raises, yawns, or canine displays; appeasing include grins); use of hands.
- Vocal-auditory – hooting or calling—series of similar noises, mostly vowels; chattering— series of similar noises, mostly consonants
What form(s) and acts of communication do you observe in this species? The form and action of communication that I observed in this species is Visual. The visual actions of one individual was expressing himself and spitting and eating grass over and over again. What type of enclosure are these primates in? How might that influence their behavior? The type of enclosure these primates are in is a big grassland/rainforest and it influence their behavior by being able to communicate with others and the weather impacts their energy levels. Primate 2 : Circle one: Great ape / Lesser ape / Monkey / Strepsirrhine Common name: Ring-tailed lemur Genus: Lemur Species: catta
How many total individuals are in the group? How many males/females? How many adults, juveniles, and infants? Just saw 2 individuals in exhibit but usual amount of lemurs in a group is 6 to 30 individuals. Not sure about males/females (probably 1 female and one male). Two adults present in the exhibit. What types of social interactions do you observe in this species? Can you determine which animals are dominant, and which are submissive? I observed a relaxed and siting social interactions plus both lemurs were submissive I think. What form(s) of locomotion do you observe in this species? How is the method of locomotion you observed related to the animals' anatomy? The forms of locomotions that I observed in this species are Quadrupedal running and leaping. This species of lemur move both on trees and ground.These methods of locomotion that I observed relate to the animals anatomy by the support of the tail and being able to move around easily. What form(s) and acts of communication do you observe in this species? The forms and acts of communication that I observed in this species are visual and olfactory. What type of enclosure are these primates in? How might that influence their behavior? The type of enclosure these primates are in is not so open spaced but not too small either. This influence their behavior by access to different areas of the exhibit and being able to communicate with each other. Primate 3 : Circle one: Great ape / Lesser ape / Monkey / Strepsirrhine
Primate 4 : Circle one: Great ape / Lesser ape / Monkey / Strepsirrhine Common name: Genus: Species: How many total individuals are in the group? How many males/females? How many adults, juveniles, and infants? What types of social interactions do you observe in this species? Can you determine which animals are dominant, and which are submissive? What form(s) of locomotion do you observe in this species? How is the method of locomotion you observed related to the animals' anatomy? What form(s) and acts of communication do you observe in this species? What type of enclosure are these primates in? How might that influence their behavior?
SECTION 3: In-depth Observation of Behavior General observations are useful, but it would be difficult to analyze subjective descriptions of primate behavior. For example, in order to conduct most kinds of statistical analyses, it is essential to have a systematic way of collecting behavioral data. The three most common techniques used to record primate behavior are:
- Scan sampling: the researcher records all the behavior of a group at regular time intervals (usually 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 5 minutes).
- Focal sampling: the researcher records all the behaviors of a specific animal at regular time intervals.
- Ad-lib sampling: the researcher records any behavior that seems interesting. The time should be recorded, although regular intervals are not necessary. Choose one primate species with two or more individuals in a group. This can be one of the species you described in Section 2, or an additional species. Choose three individuals in the group to observe. Collect 10 minutes of observations for each of your two individuals. (This means you will collect 20 minutes of observations—two individuals @ 10 minutes each). Record your observations using the data collection sheets provided at the end of this lab. Data collection sheets are provided and should be handed it with your lab. Follow these instructions on how to collect data: Beginning
- First, write down the date and species.
- Select a focal individual then circle the appropriate age/sex class of that individual and describe your bases (e.g., size, coloration) for deciding on their age status (infant, juvenile, adult) and sex (male, female). You will be watching the same focal individual for 10 minutes, but you will be collecting standardized data only every 30 seconds, i.e., at 30-second intervals (instantaneous focal sampling). You will do this for three different focal animals of your chosen species. If possible, choose a different age/sex class for each focal animal.
GO= groom other M= mount S= sit FW= fist walk GS= groom self TH= threaten ST= stand KW= knuckle-walk E= eat H= hit SC= slow climb BS= bipedal stand D= drink B= bite QW= quadrupedal walk BW=bipedal walk R= rest (including sleep) V= vocalize QR= quadrupedal run RC= rest in contact PO= play with other BR= brachiate SP= solitary play VCL=vertical cling & leap Primate observed Circle one: Great ape / Lesser ape / monkey / strepsirrhine Common name: Western Lowland Gorilla Genus: Gorilla Species: Gorilla How many total individuals are in the group? How many males/females? How many adults, juveniles, and infants? There are five individuals in the group. There are 3 males and 2 females. There are 3 adults and 2 Juveniles. What were the three most common behaviors you observed in this species during your 20 minutes of observation? What percent (%) of the time did they practice each of these behaviors (calculate the # instances of the behavior/ total # instances from your data collection sheet)? The most common behaviors in this species during my 20 minutes of observation are playing, sitting, and eating. For playing it was 50% with the young gorillas, sitting 100% of the time for one indivalal Contrast the most common behaviors practiced by either (1) males vs. females, or (2) adults vs. juveniles (i.e., what was the most common behavior in each). If your group consists only of adults and you cannot determine sex, please ask a zoo employee or volunteer. In exceptional circumstances, you may discuss individual differences in
behavior (please include at least three individuals). If the behaviors were not the same, why might they have been different? What was the most common locomotor behavior in this species? DATA COLLECTION SHEET Species: TIME: BEHAVIOR(S): LOC: COMMENTS: Individual (circle one) : Adult (sex unknown)/ Adult Male/ Adult Female/ Immature Basis (on what do you base age & sex?) :
Notes: (extra page if necessary) Species: TIME: BEHAVIOR(S): LOC: COMMENTS: Individual (circle one) : Adult (sex unknown)/ Adult Male/ Adult Female/ Immature Basis (on what do you base age & sex?) :
Notes: PS: DON’T FORGET TO TAKE A PHOTO BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE ZOO!
