Animal Observation Paper

Primates are one of the most interesting mammals on earth, not only because of their complex social structures, but because they hold so many similar characteristics to humans. Primates are often cited as our closest living relatives and on two separate occasions I observed four separate species of primates at the San Diego Zoo that can justify their use of their physical characteristics and behaviors that may be similar as well as different to the other primates and ours.

This is a summary of the video we saw on the fifth of july’s lecture about John Cleese’s documentary about lemurs. He went on a three week expedition to the forest of Madagascar, to follow five black and white lemurs known as”Carolina five” that were born into captivity and then released into the rainforest. The video discusses the characteristics of several primate species. Lemur behaviors shown include bipedalism, leaping, climbing, playing, sunning, eating, feeding, vocalization, clinging, grooming, and defecation.

Owning an exotic pet can go wrong in a lot of ways and it can seriously harm the animal you are keeping, other animals, and people; including the animal's owner. If someone would want to try to keep one of these animals they would have to put a lot of work, time, and money into it because you have to keep the animal healthy, happy, safe, and you also have to make sure you are keeping everyone else safe including yourself. Still, you could be putting yourself, the animal, and others in danger.

Within this essay, we will study more in depth the behavioral as well as physical traits of two primates at a zoo from their interaction with their peers to their place in the group. This observation would enable us to further understand the possible existing correlation between humans and primates. First, I studied a female chimpanzee with her baby, and then, a dominant male gorilla, in San Francisco Zoo at about noon, on May 23, 2015, for an hour each. Even though they share some similarities such as having a large brain, living for a long time, and being bored in their enclosure, they are still different; when gorillas are the largest, chimpanzees are the smartest. In fact, chimps use tools to catch food, they would not be able to reach

Most primates do not shape their environment in an adaptive way. They use it as it is without modification. The sleeping nests of the great apes are poor, roofless constructions created for only one night. Monkeys simply sleep on convenient tree branches without making nests. No primate other than humans is known to store food. They have a hand-to-mouth economy which forces everyone to seek food and

I primarily observed three orangutans, one male, one female, and one juvenile, of Sumatran and Bornean descent, scientifically known as Pongo abelli and Pongo pygmaeus, respectively, and to a lesser extent, two gibbons known as siamangs, or Symphalangus syndactylus. These primates share the same enclosure in the San Diego Zoo in California. I observed the orangutans from 12:58 P.M. to 2:00 P.M. CST on September 19th. During this time frame, the three orangutans mainly stayed high up in their man-made structures, consisting of multiple metal bars covered with nets, ropes, and hammocks. The female and juvenile orangutans stayed above ground from 12:58 P.M. to 1:31 P.M., and again from 1:48 P.M. until 2:00 P.M, approximately 45 minutes. During

Hanya (2004) describes the species as omnivores. However, similar to the climate of their environment, their diet is also cyclical. Throughout the summer and autumn, the macaque will

I observed a type of Ape known as the Western Lowland Gorilla. The scientific name for a Gorilla is the Gorilla gorilla. Gorillas are the largest of all living primates and at native to west central Africa. Gorillas exhibit sexual dimorphism within their species because males are very obviously much larger than females. The size of the gorillas came across very intimating and gave me an off impression of what this specie was actually going to be like. While observing the gorillas I noticed that these creatures are very slow, lethargic primates. Gorillas move quadrupedally by putting weight down on their arms and knuckles as they walk. They have hands and opposable thumbs, like humans, and are able to grasp things with a better grip. When Gorillas need to reach above themselves such as for leaves or branches they are able to stand on both legs while reaching. While resting Gorillas sit on their bottoms, legs to the side in a similar position that humans do. When resting I noticed that sometimes Gorillas like to take advantage of the moment by self grooming, using their hands. Gorillas usually have an herbivore diet but eat occasional insects. Due to their large body structure it is harder for them move around quickly so they do not need to eat foods that contain as much nutrients and proteins as smaller,

The focal orangutan that I observed for a period of twenty minutes appeared to not be very active and choosing to remain behind the trunk of one of the fake trees. During the observation at no point did I witness it forage for food or look for any food but this would be mostly

On Friday, March 31, a observation study was conducted at the L.A. Zoo. The time of arrival for the observation was at 11:48 am and the end of the observation was at 2:42 pm. The weather condition at the zoo was very sunny with a mild gust of wind every so often, which is a perfect weather condition to conduct a study. The main reason for conducting this observation study was to study and gather information about the many different types of primate that are located at the zoo. To see how different or similar each primate is to one anotherin different aspects.

Some Intentional responses include direct eye contact, specific sounds and calls, and mounting. Reproductive strategies are different for both males and females. Male strategies focus on mating as often as possible while female strategies focus on maximizing resources for herself and her offspring. Primates are K-selected reproductive animals just like us. K-selected animals tend to have few offspring at a time but invest a lot into parental care. The mother-infant bond is a strong thing in K-selected animals. Lastly cultural and cognitive behavior in primates are behaviors that require planning and the idea of an end result. These are typically learned behaviors such as stone tool use. Some primates in captivity have been able to show some types of artistic expression too such as painting. A remarkable behavior that Apes have is their knowledge of their self-image. When a mirror is placed in front of them they can tell that they are looking at themselves.

Animal science is a very broad topic. Form General Animal Science class I have learned that animal science is concerned with the science and also with the business to produce livestock such as cattle, horses, sheep, swine and poultry. In this course I have also learned that the scientists apply various genetic modifications on animal to increase production and management of livestock. To supply for the demand of animal in worldwide the industries of livestock are responsible for maintaining the well-being of the animals. The three concepts that I learned after taking this class are choosing the right breed of animal is necessary for mass production, genetic selection, and food safety.

Over the summer, I went to an amusement park with my family. This park is not only known for its rides and roller coasters, but also for the animal attractions. After a long day of riding roller coasters, we decided to go see the dolphin show. As we made our way to see the dolphin show, we passed by different animal attractions. The penguins that I once thought were adorable and lively, looked miserable, as they waddled in a dense space. Then I passed by a tank with two dolphins, I noticed that their skin, which was suppose to be delicate and rubbery, looked rough and damaged. Prior to this visit, I had been to the parks many times, but never had I felt the way I did that day. .

I'm walking to my lab, 24 tech to get on to my work on why certain animals have fur and are small like the common housecat and why they behave like they do.I come inside to the lab to check-in to reception and I greet my co-workers writing down notes about how the animals appear and then get to my locker to grab my clipboard, notes, and my uniform.I go to a cage and get a chinchilla and I place it down on a clear lab table and it felt as light as a feather.I grab the cat from the cage and put the cat right by the chinchilla to observe it.Then i go look at chemicals to see how they react to it.I look for some chemicals that can be used in foods.I go grab a book on chemistry and read it so I can make compounds used in food.I make an compound

Beginning with the most intelligent of the bunch, the (western lowland) gorillas I observed were quite inactive. This is certainly so because they are known to only be hunted by man leaving no competition outside of their own species. This fact makes it apparent why these kings of the jungle sit around so often. In the wild and even in zoos it may be difficult for a male to find mates because groups of gorillas are POLYGYNOUS. So usually one male is the father of all of the offspring. Being this way, male gorillas must display DOMINANCE over others and even stand their ground against an incoming male that may threaten the family. Going back to how they sit all day, gorillas are able to do this because they don’t even have to move to replenish energy for the reason that they are grass and leaf eaters (vegetarians). Not having to move very much makes gorillas capable of having a low-quality diet.