Primate Observation: Chimpanzees. Gorillas, and New World Monkeys - Assignment Example

Observations Primate Observation Worksheet ___13 July __________________ Time: ___________to_______________ In person or on video: _____On video__________________ Primate observed: ___Chimpanzees________________________ Scientific name: ____________________________ Sex if an individual: _________________________ Age of the primate if known: __________________ Technique used: Group Scanning or Individual Observation Group scanning Describe the enclosure, weather, and environment: -Various-video observation -The environment is dominated by trees and shrubs on the videos Is this similar to the environment of the primate in the wild? The group: In the video, the Chimps were in the wild environment. How many individuals? _They vary in the videos_________________________________ Number of adults and young? _They vary in the videos____________________________ Are there subgroups, such as mothers with young? Yes________________ Describe if yes: The young ones appear to copy the actions of their mothers such as looking for food. They also appear worried and in distress as they get detached from their mother. Some make loud noise to attract the attention of the mother. Is the size and make-up of this group similar to what you would see in the wild? How is it different or the same? The video depict the Chimps in a wild. There are trees for climbing. However, in one of the videos, a research is being carried out on chimps and hence the environment is modified. Other notes: Notes on morphology: Approximate size: There are various sizes of the chimps but the adults in the videos appear to be more that one meter in height._______________________________________ Which is longer, the forelimbs or the hindlimbs? Forelimbs Is there a tail? There is no tail in the chimp. How is the tail, if present, used in your presence? Is there sexual dimorphism? Describe: There are no differences between male and female species. The members appears to have similar body and employs the same behavioral characteristic. Describe the teeth of the primate if seen. Are they different in male and females?: There is nowhere in the videos the teeth are evident. Describe the hands of the primate: The hands of the chimps are long as compared to the feet. The hand has five toes but the big toe is shorter. The toes are also hairless. The hand seems most active when looking for food and feeding. Describe the feet of the primate. What is the hallux shaped like? The feet of the chimp appear shorter as compared to the hands. The feet is hairless at the toe. The feet appear to play an important role for support when the chimp is seated. The hallux is not visible in the videos. Notes: Notes on locomotion and motor skills: What forms of locomotion do you observe? (quadrupedalism, bipedalism, brachiation, knuckle-walking...) Under what circumstances are they using the different methods of locomotion? Describe ALL observed locomotion. The chimps depicts quadrupedalism in which four legs are used while walking on the ground. In addition, there is bipedalism as the hands are used to look for food and eating. Brachiation is also evident as the chimp’s moves from one tree or branch to the other. When not moving, what position do they assume? (sitting on pads, perching on branches, etc.) They sit on pads. When holding objects such as food or toys, do you observe precision grips? Power grips? Describe There is precise and power grip when holding objects. The precision is exhibited as the chimps feed on termites. The power grip is exhibited as they move from one branch to the other. Notes on Behavior: this section is for any unusual or interesting behaviors not covered elsewhere in the form. Describe the behavior and interactions you observe. What do the primates do? Try to identify the sex and adult/juvenile/infant age category of the participants. Do adults behave differently with infants than with juveniles or other adults? How does their sex affect interactions? Note both behaviors and responses to them. Some behaviors to watch for: Interactions while getting food and eating The chimps look for food individually. However, the mother plays a significant role in teaching the young ones on ways of getting food. Chasing/being chased (age and sex of pursuer and pursued?) This appears not to be defined by age and sex. Vocalizing (what causes them to vocalize? How do others respond?) There is some vocalizing. This occurs as a way of seeking attention from the other members. Grooming (describe it. Self-grooming, pairs, multiple individuals? Do some get more than they give?) Adults carrying or caring for an infant (is the adult male or female? what does it do?) Dominance and submission behaviors (fights, showing canines, getting preferential access to water or food, taking something away from another individual with or without resistance, etc.) There is some dominance in the chimps. This is done through producing a strange sound and sometimes through fights. Forming coalitions (such as two individuals defending themselves against a third) Courtship or mounting Interactions with human primate visitors Primate Observation Worksheet Date: ______13 July 2014_______________ Time: ___________to_______________ In person or on video: ____On video___________________ Primate observed: _ GORILLAS __________________________ Scientific name: ____________________________ Sex if an individual: _________________________ Age of the primate if known: __________________ Technique used: Group Scanning or Individual Observation Group Scanning Describe the enclosure, weather, and environment: Various-video observation Is this similar to the environment of the primate in the wild? The videos depicts the gorilla in their pristine environment. How many individuals? __The individual vary on videos but appears to be between 5-10.________________________________ Number of adults and young? __The adults and yound also varies. However, there are more young ones as compared to adults.___________________________ Are there subgroups, such as mothers with young? _There are mothers with young._______________ Describe if yes: The young ones appears aggressive in the group. They play amongst each other. Mostly, they follow the guidance of the male in the group and also tries to seek the attention of the male. Their mothers also carry the young as they move from one place to the other. Is the size and make-up of this group similar to what you would see in the wild? How is it different or the same? The size and make-up is as it is in the wild. Other notes: Notes on morphology: Approximate size: ___1.5 metres(Male)____________________________________ Which is longer, the forelimbs or the hindlimbs? The forelimb is longer. Is there a tail? No tail How is the tail, if present, used in your presence? Is there sexual dimorphism? Describe: The male appears big as compared to the females. Describe the teeth of the primate if seen. Are they different in male and females?: The teeth appears elongate. Describe the hands of the primate: The hand appears thing and more elongate as compared to the limb. The toes are also thick. The hand appears to do most of the activities of gathering food. Describe the feet of the primate. What is the hallux shaped like? The feet are shorter as compared to the hand. The feet also have a more elongate hallux that extends horizontally. Notes: Notes on locomotion and motor skills: What forms of locomotion do you observe? (quadrupedalism, bipedalism, brachiation, knuckle-walking...) Under what circumstances are they using the different methods of locomotion? Describe ALL observed locomotions. Bipedalism is used as they engage the hands in other activities such as feeding and gathering of food. Additionally, they knuckle-walk as they move from one place to another. When not moving, what position do they assume? (sitting on pads, perching on branches, etc.) They sit on their back. When holding objects such as food or toys, do you observe precision grips? Power grips? Describe. There is no precision and power grip. Notes on Behavior: this section is for any unusual or interesting behaviors not covered elsewhere in the form. Describe the behavior and interactions you observe. What do the primates do? Try to identify the sex and adult/juvenile/infant age category of the participants. Do adults behave differently with infants than with juveniles or other adults? How does their sex affect interactions? Note both behaviors and responses to them. Some behaviors to watch for: Interactions while getting food and eating Each gorilla lokk for its own food. The young ones are held using hand by their mother while breastfeeding. Chasing/being chased (age and sex of pursuer and pursued?) The male chase the other males once it feels aggressed. Vocalizing (what causes them to vocalize? How do others respond?) The grunt as they indicate of their whereabouts. The other also makes the same sound. Grooming (describe it. Self-grooming, pairs, multiple individuals? Do some get more than they give?) The gorilla are seen grooming in pairs. This is evident as the male groom the female as a way of getting intimate. Adults carrying or caring for an infant (is the adult male or female? what does it do?) The female adult carries the young. This us done using the back of the adult female. Dominance and submission behaviors (fights, showing canines, getting preferential access to water or food, taking something away from another individual with or without resistance, etc.) The adult males dominate the group. Forming coalitions (such as two individuals defending themselves against a third) Courtship or mounting There is some courtship as the male want to get intimate. Interactions with human primate visitors. There is also good interaction with human primate visitors. They also groom the visitors and seek the attention of the visitors. Primate Observation Worksheet Date: _July 14, 2014____________________ Time: ___________to_______________ In person or on video: ____On video___________________ Primate observed: __ NEW WORLD MONKEYS _________________________ Scientific name: _Ceboidea___________________________ Sex if an individual: _________________________ Age of the primate if known: __________________ Technique used: Group Scanning or Individual Observation Group Scanning Describe the enclosure, weather, and environment: Various-video observation Is this similar to the environment of the primate in the wild? The group: The primate in the video appear in a natural environment. How many individuals? _The group varies but they are between 2-5._________________________________ Number of adults and young? _This also vary with the group.____________________________ Are there subgroups, such as mothers with young? _Yes_______________ Describe if yes: The juveniles appears aggressive and also relies on their mother for locomotion. Their mothers carry them on the back. They are also in constant fight for food. Is the size and make-up of this group similar to what you would see in the wild? How is it different or the same? The video was shoot in a natural world hence the make up and size is as it is expected. Other notes: Notes on morphology: Approximate size: __50 centimetres_____________________________________ Which is longer, the forelimbs or the hindlimbs? There is no difference in terms of length. Is there a tail? Yes How is the tail, if present, used in your presence? The tail is used for grasping and support during locomotion. Is there sexual dimorphism? No Describe: Describe the teeth of the primate if seen. Are they different in male and females?: There are elongated canine teeth. Describe the hands of the primate: The hand has five toes. The toes are hairless and are mostly used for gathering of food. The hand also has a thick pad that appears to play a role in holding hard things such as nuts. Describe the feet of the primate. What is the hallux shaped like? The feet appears thick as compared to the forelimbs. The feet plays a significant role in support while gathering food and sitting. Notes: Notes on locomotion and motor skills: What forms of locomotion do you observe? (quadrupedalism, bipedalism, brachiation, knuckle-walking...) Under what circumstances are they using the different methods of locomotion? Describe ALL observed locomotion. Bipedalism is evident during eating and gathering of food. Brachiation is also evident as they move from one place to the other. When not moving, what position do they assume? (sitting on pads, perching on branches, etc.) They sit on their tail with minimal support by the hind limbs. When holding objects such as food or toys, do you observe precision grips? Power grips? Describe There is precision but no power grip. Notes on Behavior: this section is for any unusual or interesting behaviors not covered elsewhere in the form. Describe the behavior and interactions you observe. What do the primates do? Try to identify the sex and adult/juvenile/infant age category of the participants. Do adults behave differently with infants than with juveniles or other adults? How does their sex affect interactions? Note both behaviors and responses to them. Some behaviors to watch for: Interactions while getting food and eating They all take food together irrespective of sex and age. Chasing/being chased (age and sex of pursuer and pursued?) Vocalizing (what causes them to vocalize? How do others respond?) There is vocalization as they communicate with each other. Grooming (describe it. Self-grooming, pairs, multiple individuals? Do some get more than they give?) Self grooming. Adults carrying or caring for an infant (is the adult male or female? what does it do?) Mother carried infants on their back. Dominance and submission behaviors (fights, showing canines, getting preferential access to water or food, taking something away from another individual with or without resistance, etc.) Forming coalitions (such as two individuals defending themselves against a third) Courtship or mounting Interactions with human primate visitors OBSERVATIONS ANALYSIS COMPARE EITHER THE BEHAVIORS OR MORPHOLOGY OF TWO OF THE PRIMATES YOU CHOSE. Compare the locomotions, morphology, or behavior: which are you comparing? _Comparison of the Chimps and Gorillas; ______________________________________________________________ Are they the same or different? How so? They both have longer forelimb. They are also hairless on their faces and toes. There is a difference in locomotion as there is lacks brachiation in the gorillas. However, they both depict bipedalism. Moreover, the gorillas are more social as compared to the chimps. The gorillas are also bigger in terms of body size. What does this tell you about their natural environments (what environment are their bodies adapted to)? Do they live in the same environments and eat the same foods, mate in the same way? The two primates are adapted to a thick and humid environment. Such areas seem dominated by trees, shrubs, and some form of succulent grasses. The environment appears to be the same. The diet is also the same comprises of small insects, ants, and fruits. How do you know this? (not from your book, or class, but from your knowledge of their anatomy, environment, and behavior. Think about natural selection and adaptation...) I was able to discern this as I watched the videos. It was easy to observe and differentiate size, behavior, and ways of interaction. The prior knowledge of anatomy, environment, and behavior also made it easier for me to be able to make these notes. Read More