Cheetah Research Paper

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.

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,

“Animal Behavior.” Discoveries in Modern Science: Exploration, Invention, Technology, edited by James Trefil, vol. 1, Macmillan Reference USA, Farmington Hills, MI, 2015, pp. 13–16. Gale Virtual Reference Library, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=unio34164&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE|CX3601300015&asid=74c1ae16e12548f6ef53dd44d3694490. Accessed Feb. 2017.

The meerkat sentinel is the first subject of alanysis. While the passage portrays the standing meerkat guard as a pure example of altruism by sacrificying for the group, the lecturer illustrates an opposing study that details the benefits of being the standing guard. First, the meerkat only volunteers to stand watching out on a full stomach, it is more likely to evade a predator attack as it saw the attacker first, and also have the other animals chaotic scramble for safety as a distraction covering it.

I chose to study the behaviors of the Spider monkey and the Sifaka. I chose them for a few reasons, one being that Spider monkeys are incredibly adorable and two Sifaka’s remind me of a childhood television show, Zoboomafoo. These two primate groups also struck my attention in class, so this project was a perfect opportunity to dig a little deeper. The behaviors I chose to observe were social interactions and locomotion. The biggest differences I noticed between the two primates were that the Spider monkeys have the prehensile tails and without exerting extra energy is able to engage in a few common locomotion patterns such as quadrupedal, suspensory and bipedalisim. Where as Sifaka’s lack a tail, and remain upright at all times, and the

My hypothesis was that, “If the Ring Tailed Lemur spends a third of their time on the ground foraging for food, then if we study them for an hour in captivity, they should spend approximately the same amount of time foraging for food.” This hypothesis was proven correct by the data of the Ring Tailed Lemurs at the Bronx Zoo. The lemurs at the zoo spent around one third of the time on the ground. The amount of time that the lemurs spent on the ground was 33% of the time that the lemurs were on the ground. In the Bronx Zoo the lemurs spent thirteen thirty sixths of their time which is 36% of their time on the ground. Even in captivity the Ring Tailed Lemurs spent most of the time in the trees and less time on the ground foraging for food.

Body temperature determines behavior and activity of reptiles, including hunting behavior. Ambush hunting rattlesnakes would benefit from selecting ambush sites where the substrate is relatively warm, allowing them to stay in ambush for longer and strike prey successfully. Here, we test whether free-ranging sidewinder rattlesnakes (Crotalus cerastes) select ambush sites based on substrate temperature. We are using a thermal imaging camera to measure snake temperature and substrate temperature at ambush sites and random locations. We expect that snakes choose ambush sites with substrate temperatures that allow them to stay at a warmer body temperature than if they selected sites at random.

Introduction: The broader context of this lab was aimed at observing animals and documenting specific animal behavior patterns. Specifically, we were trying to determine if squirrels applied snakeskin randomly to certain areas of their body or if there was a specific technique to it in relation to escaping their predators. After an animal has determined that a predator is nearby, it must then take action to avoid encountering this threat. Encounters are most easily avoided by preventing predators from detecting prey in the first instance (Rosier & Langklide, 2011), for squirrels this type of behavior is known as SSA, “snake scent application”. In this lab we wanted to study two different species of

Investigating the behavior of animals is essential to understanding the implications for why an animal may do things the way they do. It helps shine some light on a subject that is not heavily researched and give us a better understanding of the feeding behavior, reproductive patterns, seasonal movement and communication between other animals. As boring or bland as animal observation may be it gives us an increased outlook on the many reasons for an animal’s demeanor. I got the opportunity to observe and analyze White-tailed Deer in their natural habitat and get a better understanding for that of their various behaviors. White-tails in general have interesting behavioural characteristics that define them as a species and enable their survival in the wild.

Humans act as a strong evolutionary force that can cause more rapid selection than predators or the environment. Past research has concentrated on human selection of morphological traits , but little is known about the human influence on behaviors in wild populations. To see how human hunting effects elk anti-predator behavior, researchers tracked elk movement over four years. Researchers predicted that fast moving, bold elk were more likely to be harvested than shy, slow elk. In Alberta, Canada, researchers attached GPS collars to 45 two-year-old bulls and 77 cows ranging from 2 to 19 years old. They recorded elk location every 2 hours and used distance travelled to infer step length. Elk that spent time in open areas, near roads, and smooth

Over the past two months, I had the pleasure of visiting the Los Angeles Zoo on two occasions to observe primates for this project. Why two visits? Well, my initial observation notes were inadvertently thrown away in an unintentional fit of neatness. These observations, therefore, were taken on a warm afternoon in November 2014. Having carefully reread the paper requirements and suggestions before my second visit, I made a more conscious choice of the primates I was about to observe so there would be a more obvious contrast between their behaviors (on my first visit I had observed two different monkey species.) In this document, I will share my observations of the behaviors of Squirrel Monkeys and Bornean orangutans.

An enlarged heart can be advantageous in cheetahs, but disadvantageous in humans because heart abnormalities are common in young adults currently due to the cardiac arrest. Regarding cardiac arrest, the heart beat irregularly either in an unsmooth rhythm, fast pace or in a slow motion, which causes the heart to stop beating. The three most common factors that undergo the sudden cardiac death in young people are hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), Coronary artery abnormalities, and long QT syndrome. And these would lead harm to their future generation, could be untypical for humans and the population as well. This is why the heart of the cheetahs have far more advantages than humans.

Hunkered down and poised to pounce, fur glistening in the sunlight, the lithe feline watches its prey, a small field mouse, with pupils reminiscent of a black hole. If one were to make a sudden movement, the cat would probably flinch three feet into the air. This single-minded focus is born from what is arguably the most important aspect of feline physiology: their existence as obligate carnivores. The obligate carnivore, unlike omnivorous humans and even domestic canines, is designed by nature to consume a diet composed solely of raw flesh. Felines in their natural habitat hunt small prey that is high in protein with moderate amounts of fat, and minimal to no carbohydrate (CHO) (Zoran 1). Due to this unique physiology, felines do best when

threat, such as bears or cougars, would normally run rather than fight a human unless they are

In order for cheetahs to eat, they approach their prey in a certain way to be successful; otherwise, they will not eat. Russell also notes that, the cheetah hunts with speed and knocks down its prey before killing it (Russell). When cheetahs hunt, they first identify their meal. Whenever there are hiding places available like tall grass, the cheetah use the cover to sneak up on its prey (JessZoo). They lower themselves so their victim does not see them. They creep very slowly and soon gain speed. If the prey looks up, the