Colobus Vellerosus: Article Analysis

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.

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

The animal I have chosen to study is the Japanese macaque, more commonly known as the Japanese snow monkey. Sir David Attenborough recently described the macaque as “one of the most successful and versatile of all primates”, commending its capacity to be “versatile, resilient, enterprising, tough and capable of surviving in extreme conditions”. This essay will continue by examining the Japanese macaque in a number of ways. Firstly, I will describe the physical characteristics of the animal, paying particular attention to the way in which their appearance has adapted to enable them to dominate in their habitat. Secondly, I will discuss the environment in which the macaques live in and the unique capabilities they maximise to develop a

Anthropologist, Edward Tylor defines culture as “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” (McGrew, 1998). Other anthropological definitions refer to specific human nature of a culture centered on language, symbols, teaching and imitation (Humle and Newton-Fisher, 2013). Nonhuman primates are cultured and is passed from parent to offspring and is enforced throughout their lives. Various primates initially do the same thing, but carry out these tasks different per what they practice which would be a part of their culture. This research paper will explore specific evidence of culture in nonhuman primates and how it is transmitted.

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,

claim is based on a study of the rehus monkey by Dr. Robert Heath in the late

We as humans have our inner monkey to thank for much of the “human” characteristics that we enjoy today. The ways that we see the world, walk, and even think have been shaped by our primate ancestors. Though humans didn’t evolve from modern monkeys, it’s clearly evident that we do share an evolutionary relationship: a common ancestor. A particular creature called Notharctus, while perhaps not the exact common ancestor between humans and monkeys, played an important role in the development of one of the most defining primate features: the hand.

“Monkeying around” is a common phrase associated with energetic kids who are participating in horseplay or being rambunctious in general. This metaphor draws similarities between children and monkeys (a generalization for primates) through their behavior/play patterns. They pull this connection because kids who are bouncing off the walls seem uncivilized and unmannered like that of monkeys. At face value, it may seem like an ignorant joke, a connection that is circumstantial and ironic. However, these connections are revealed to be legitimate and unnervingly accurate--even when children are not being rambunctious. Kids, in particular, very blatantly portray behaviors of actual primates--Chimpanzees especially. These conclusions can be drawn

Many people think chimpanzees are a monkey and they don't know what the difference between monkey and apes are. Actually, bonobo and chimpanzees are apes and have similarity genetic code with a human. However, gorillas also share same genetic to human and they mostly have similar behaviors like a human, like eat food, move, or shape like hands. The author Kristina Cawthon Lang “National Primate Research Center in Wisconsin” talked about what is the difference of the behaviors between a gorilla, chimpanzee, and bonobo. The author Lewis, R B, Robert Jurmain and Lynn Kilgore talked in the book “Understanding Humans: Introduction to Physical Anthropology and Archaeology” about many kinds of apes and monkeys, and also what is different between of them.

The Black and White Colobus Monkey are of the genus Colobus. These monkeys are herbivores and mostly eat twigs, fruit, leaves, and flowers. They can be found living in primary and secondary forests, woodland grasslands,

Addressing the various mating systems of primates and its relation to sexual size dimorphism and behavior contributes to understanding evolutionary processes and patterns. The different methods of mating are significant to study because they demonstrate the outcomes of natural selection on mate choice. These varying mating methods also aide in understanding the origin of

To finally conclude, we do have an animal side in us, and we should not extinguish this animalistic behavior humans have. Because what we do makes us human just as what animals do to make them animals. In the Metamorphosis, Gregory’s father threw apples at him. That is a sign of not only aggression, but protection of his family. Like a wolf alpha protecting his pack. Secondly, another is monkeys eating with their bare hands. It’s the same concept with Middle Easterns. They, too, eat with their hands, like monkeys, they don’t acquire the usage of eating utensils. Or like how both humans and dogs dream. Dogs dream like humans, as humans dream like dogs. Lastly, the primates uses tools just as humans do. As was stated before they use spears for

The goal of this study was to determine if traditions in capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) could be induced. To test this theory, a foraging apparatus is used on several different groups of capuchins that have been housed socially. This experiment consists of two phases with two generations of infant tufted capuchins. During both experimental phases, most of the subjects showed working in a group or around others as their preference. Results confirmed that infants are influenced by an adults presence to increase activity and to be more intrigued when seeing an adult capuchin using the apparatus. It was also discovered that most of the subjects seemed to prefer the method of solution that they first solved. This experiment helps to look further

Biological anthropologists seek to understand how humans adapt to diverse environments, how biological and cultural processes work together to shape growth, development and behavior, and what causes disease and early death. In addition, they are interested in human biological origins, evolution and variation. They give primary attention to investigating questions having to do with evolutionary theory, our place in nature, adaptation and human biological variation. To understand these processes, biological anthropologists study other primates (primatology), the fossil