Primate Observation Essay

As part of the only Old World Monkey group I analyzed the Silver Langur whose scientific name is Trachypitneus Cristatus. In this cage there was a total of 6 monkeys so there was very much activity. This

Naturalistic observation involves recording subjects' naturally occurring behavior while they are in their natural environment. This experiment revolves around this type of observation. Specifically, it involves the observation of the various human dyads (male-female, male-male, female-female,) social interaction, within in a public environment. Focal points of observation included conversation space (distance between individuals heads,), and body language.

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.

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

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 fundamental physical prerequisites of people , just like all organisms , are : water, for various metabolic process; foods, to provide energy, raw materials for developing entirely new living matter, as well as chemical substances required for vital reactions; oxygen, to discharge energy from foods materials; heat, to enhance chemical effects; and also pressure, to enable inhaling and exhaling” This like this article and think that it relates to . To be able to understand how humans evolved from early existence forms, we can quickly take a look at our closest relatives, the primates. Primates consist of us (Homo sapiens), the apes, the monkeys, as well as prosimians, for example, the lemur. We can easily be familiar with primate behavior

In order to study human development and perform naturalistic observation I went to the mall. I selected a 9-year-old white girl as the subject for my observation. I observed the subject for 30 minutes. During my observation the subject was not interrupted and was not aware of my study.

Orangutans (Figure 3) are our first cousins since they share 97 percent of our genetic material. Contrary to other apes, orangutans are semi solitary which is unique in its social organization (3). Adult males which are the most solitary, and they associate with only their current, former, and potential consorts. For the semi-solitary orangutans, the only playmate is its mother. Even female adults are more social than male ones, rarely they groom, touch, hold hands, chase, or fight. On rare occasions, female adults may groom; however, it lasts only few seconds. Sometimes, female adults meet and travel with one another to express the close relationship. The long call by a male orangutan expresses an alert to others about his presence. Usually, other orangutans only react if the call is close by or aggressive towards them. Male orangutan can use vocalization to express that he is angry and frustrated, and that call signals a threat to another male (3). Female orangutans also produce vocalization when they get upset by the presence of another male.

     I think that if culture is defined as learned behavior, than it is reasonable to say that primates posses a form of culture. Primates have been observed making tools to aid in collecting food and developing communication system, both of which are learned behaviors.

The first primate like mammals should that they started to evolve in the early Paleocene Epoch and the beginning of the Cenozoic Era. The primates were roughly similar to squirrel and tress shrews in the size and appearance. Fragmentary fossil evidence that was found in Asia, North Africa, and in North America suggest that the primates have adapted a arboreal way of life in the warm, moist climates. The fossils show that these primates had a great sense of eye sight and good hand and feet coordination for climbing trees. With the end of the Eocene Epoch many of the

For the primate observation project I went to the Santa Barbara zoo to observe and contrast different types of primates. I observed one species of an old world monkey, which was a gorilla and two different species of new world monkeys, which were the Bolivian Grey Titi Monkey and also the Golden Lion Tamerin.

Last weekend, I began researching the ethnography of Los Angeles Zoo and observed the humans and animals interacting. Los Angeles Zoo includes Botanical Garden which has many entertainment activities for visitors. It also offers many shows, such as Angela Collier World of Birds Theater and Elephant Training Demonstration. Los Angeles Zoo has decent selection of animals anyone can enjoy seeing them. The zoo lies on the north of Los Angeles. It is next to Western Heritage Way, and behind Autry National Center and Museum. There are several parks surround the Los Angeles Zoo like Griffith Park, Wilson Golf Course, and Mount Sinai Memorial Park. This area is completely covered by trees and grasses. This shape gives the visitor an imaginary picture of real rainforest. There some notes on the visitors parking that it is not enough, so the visitors tend to park their cars in another spot and walk about four minute to arrive. Always arrive early to not wait for a while to get tickets.

The other adult female that would be my focal point did emerge but remained less social and more timid than the other orangutans but was also younger. The orangutans as supported by San Diego Zoo Orangutan website would use all four limbs to move about the trees and would occasionally walk on the ground bipedally and using its long arms for support. One of the more curious observations was the interaction between the non-human primates and the humans which seemed to stem of curiosity on both sides. For instance at one point before the focal observation an adult human female with her infant were tapping on the glass of the enclosure and the adult human female began to pull things from her purse and show it to the orangutan who was leaning on the glass barrier; among many of the items was a bag of chocolate candies which the orangutan did not particularly respond to. The eldest adult female orangutan however seemed to respond very curiously and attentively to any infant or child that approached the enclosure.

Kavanagh, M. & Morris, D. (1983). Complete guide to monkeys, apes and other primates. London: Viking Press.

A highly endangered species, the orangutan is the oldest known primate1, dating back 60 million years. The word “orangutan” in the Malayasian language means “man of the forest.” The wild orangutan once roamed throughout Southeast Asia. Today, however, this beautiful animal is only found in small parts of Malaysia and Indonesia (on the island of Borneo), and in northern Sumatra.