Unique Ape Behaviors and Appearances - Essay Example

Unique Ape Behaviors and Appearances The San Diego Park My visit took place at the San Diego zoo on 22/02 from 1400hrs to 1600hrs. The zoo is maintained well and they are around 3700 species of animals housed in the massive acres of land. The key point of interest though was to observe the various primates that were housed in the clean park. At each cage, I spend twenty minutes maximum observing the behavior, physical characteristic and frequency of behavior of each primate’s was able to observe a promisian, a monkey and an ape. It was an interesting visit with a lot to learn. I was able to visualize what we had been learning in class. The zoo also provides a detailed history of their origin. The following is a detailed report of my visit. The lemurs The first stop was at the Safari Park Lemur Walk that provides an impressive exhibit of the promisian Lemur whose scientific name is Lumeniformes. A belief history about their origin indicates that they are from Madagascar. The park officially started conservation in 1963 .There is a total of five ring tailed Lemurs in the exhibit. The Lemur is very small and one might think it is a squirrel, a cat or a dog but it the smallest primate ever. It resembles a fox with its snout and it has a hairless nose which is usually wet this adapts it to be a good sniffer.it has a smooth fur which was gray for some and others had a red fur they varied with colour.The tails of the Lemurs are not PREHENSILE . The tails are long and unique with black and white rings. They have five digits on the FRONT and HIND LIMBS and bright round eyes. For the first ten minutes, the Lemurs were grooming each using an elongated nail on the second toe. They also used their finely spaced teeth. They communicated with sounds that were similar to the mewing of a cat. Physical signals like facial expressions are rare to the Lemurs lack facial muscles like most primates. In the next five minutes, something interesting came up the zookeeper kept some food in the cage that included some biscuit a vegetable and fruits. The Lemurs were using their tails to communicate to each about the food.one would hold up their tail and the other four would take note of it. After a few minutes, they all ran toward where the food was. The tail is also a tool of communication by the lemurs. The rest of the time, the lemurs’ were sun bathing and grooming. The troop had only one male, the reason to that is because a powerful female dominates them and they chase men from their troop. The mangabey monkey I went to the Monkey Trail in the Lost Forest as my second destination. I was able to observe a variety of monkeys but what caught my eyes was the Mangabey monkey. The scientific name of this monkey is Lophocebus atterimus.The zoo is the home of the Black- crested mangabey, found only in Africa and they are highly endangered. They have bright white-eye lids, long grayish brown whiskers that almost cover their ears and a high crest on their heads. They have a long tail that is PREHENSILE as I observed for sixteen minutes that they would hook it on branches as they jumped from tree to tree. They communicate using a booming voice from their throat sac. The adult male mangabeys use the WHOOP GOOBLE that gets the attention of the other mangabeys. As most monkeys the mangabeys eat by licking and dropping the seeds of the fruits are part of their diet. They have large cheek pouches that function like shopping carts that they feel up with nuts. I noticed one of the monkeys for four minutes and noted that it was looking for bugs at the bark of the trees. It used its teeth and hands to tear the bark and looked underneath it very carefully. The young ones of the mangabeys usually hang on the underbelly of the mothers with a very strong grip. They do not ever leave the mother’s side. The adult male acts as the defender of the group and he led the troop of around twenty individuals around the park. They have strong jaws and teeth, which help them, crack nuts and bite into thick-skinned fruits like melons. The Bonobos The bonobos are one of the most intelligent animals in the planet. They are called also known as the pygmy chimps .their scientific name is pan paniscus .it is more of a dwarf chimpanzee ,they are found in the zoo’s Lost Forest below the gorilla’s lush habitats the exhibit is dominated by giant rock outcroppings and distinctive twisted palms. There are waterfalls and streams that spice up the atmosphere to resemble the African rainforest atmosphere. some interesting facts about this ape is that it shares approximately 97% of the same DNA that makes up human beings .This makes most of its behaviors to be more similar to human beings in terms of the reproduction and social interactions. This was the best way to end my visit in the zoo. It is one of the most interesting animals to watch with its spectacular resemblance to human beings. It has an OPPOSABLE thumb that helps it to grip onto food and trees. It has black hair covering its body; it has pink lips and long legs. One distinctive characteristics between bonobos and chimpanzees is that they have their hair parted right at the middle of their heads .they are not QUADRAPLE like chimpanzees and they are more comfortable walking upright. For the first ten minutes, the bonobos were keenly observing me. I think they were trying to access whether I was approachable or not. The guide encouraged me to wave at them that I was more reluctant to do but I gave it a try.Suprisingly they all waved back at me. That was the beginning of a creation of rapport. They like playing and showing off their skills. Immediately after waving, the bonobos started a sort of a game whereby one of them paraded on top of the rock. The others tried to pull her down. The two youngsters also showed of their skills where they covered their eyes and ran after each other. Their posture was mainly upright when feeding. They had a range of fruits and vegetables like apples, turnips, yams, and broccoli. They have a range of vocal communications for example when food was placed they made a food call to the others .they also use the hand, foot gestures and facial expressions to communicate. The young ones were the most playful of them all. They made funny faces at each other that I later learnt was part of a game that they played. In the last ten minutes, the bonobos mostly spent them swinging hand-to-hand from one tree to another. The female as I observed were the leaders of the troop. Some of the bonobos would sit at an upright position on the trees just like human beings. Conclusion Several features that were different among the three types of apes that I got a chance to observe. The main differences are as illustrated in the columns below Characteristics Lemurs Mangabey monkeys Bonobos Grooming Using the elongated nail on the second toe, while in a posture that was Quadruple They do not like grooming, most of the time they jump from tree to tree. They groom each other using their palms. Tail Had a long tail that had black and white strips and it was not PREHENSILE Had a long tail that that was PREHENSILE Had no tail Communication It has a snout that resembles a fox and it mostly relies on smell for communication. They do not use facial expressions.Intrestingly they can also use their tails to communicate with each other. The make a booming voice to communicate. The male mangabey uses a Whooping Gobble when it wants to communicate. Uses facial expressions when communicating. They also use the hand and the feet to communicate. Feeding They mostly feed on vegetables and fruits. They feed by nibbling on their food like the mouse and the squirrels They also feed on fruits but they lick on the food. Then drop the seeds of the fruits that they are eating. They have pouches in their mouths that they fill with many nuts. They have strong jaws and teeth, which help them crack open the nuts. They feed like human being by biting on their food. They assume an upright posture when feeding. Leadership The female leader leads the troop. It dominates and when the male matures, they have to leave and look for another troop. The male leader dominates the group. They warn of any danger that is happening and the others take precaution. The females are the ones who dominate them usually maintain cross bonds with their sons. The females when old enough are chased to look for other troops As illustrated above the various animals have their own unique way of behavior and physical appearance. The following is an illustration on how I spent the twenty minutes observing each type of animal Lemurs Time (minutes) Behavior 10 Grooming each other using a long elongated nail on the second toe. 5 Communicated using their tails on the arrival of foods 5 Spent sunbathing and grooming while lying on their backs Mangabey monkeys Time (minutes) Behavior 16 They jumped from one tree to another and they had a PREHNSILE tail. They picked fruits licked on them and threw the seeds 4 Looked for food and bugs on the ground Bonnobos Time(minutes) Behavior Five Observation and creating a rapport between the individual and them. Communicated when I waved at them they waved back Five Played several games to show off some skills. Like the rock game and the young, ones closing their eyes and chasing after each other. This was basically a show off of their intelligence Ten They mostly used their hands to swing from tree to tree. The observation was good and I learnt a lot about the various animals. The guides were very helpful with information on the questions that I wanted got a chance to take some several photos of the park and if I get a chance, I will go again and visit the zoo. Sadly, the apes are the most endangered species on planet earth. They need protection to preserve them. The zoo has provided a home and it is upon us to take up the mandate and support them. References Larsen, Clark Spencer (2014) Our Origins: Discovering Physical Anthropology. 3th Edition. W. W. Norton & Company, New York. Read More