...This report discusses the observations of the two different primates’ behavioral traits to understand human behavior. The observed primates were the Black and Ruffed Lemur, also known as Varecia variegata, and the Squirrel Monkey, known as the Saimiri. Both were located at the Happy Hollow Park and Zoo, San Jose, on July 20, 2017 from 10:17 am to 12:30 pm. The Black and White Ruffed Lemur had patches of white and black hair. The white patches surround both the head and the lower body, while the rest is covered in black hair. The lemur features a long tail that strikes upward to balance its movements. The claws grasp onto objects such as branches and food. It had eyes with a small pupil and yellow colored lenses. An interesting behavior was...
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...Primate Observation In my trip to the zoo I was able to see many different primates, some more common to us than others. The three primates I took my time to observe were Orangutans, Chimpanzees, and Gorillas. Each of these primates have a common ancestor with us, the homo sapiens. From observing these primates closely I was capable of seeing why we share so many things alike. These animals not only share a common ancestor with us but they share many traits that we humans have. The Pongo Pygmaeus and Pongo Abelii, stated on the plaque, were the first primates I closely observed, we know them as Orangutans. These Orangutans came from the tropical forests on Sumatra and Borneo, shown on the plaque outside the captivity, so there captivity...
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...individual primates at the Santa Ana Zoo was quite an experience because when I use to hear monkeys I use to only picture one certain appearance and that was a brown monkey with a light brown face, and a long tail. Moneys are not just monkeys, humans aren’t just humans, and apes aren’t just apes they are all primates which is a mammal that has certain characteristics such as: flexible fingers and toes, opposable thumbs, flatter face than other mammals, have eyes that face forward and spaced close together, large and complex cerebrum, and they are also social animals. After analyzing the Brown Capuchin, White Faced Saki, Brown-Headed Spider Monkey, and Silver Langur it was obvious that all primates are completely different. Although their appearances are widely different there is one thing they have in common they all communicate through vocalizations and just calls to transmit messages to one another. I never took into consideration how much the behaviors of each monkeys vary but after analyzing the behavior for 20 minutes for each primate it was very interesting. Especially when it came to vocalizations because I'm so use to the typical in a way stereo type that society makes monkeys sound like. The first primate that I analyzed was the Brown Capuchin which is also known as the Cebus C.Apella. This certain primate is considered to be part of the New World Monkeys. I analyzed this particular monkey from 10:40am to 11:00am and it was actually the most interesting primate I analyzed...
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...While humans and primates are related in many ways, there are distinct characteristics for hominids. The most unique characteristic difference that separates hominids and non-human primates is bipedalism. While hominids walk on two feet, non-human primates are quadrupedal, using all fours to get around. Multiple experiments were conducted to identify between the advantages and disadvantages of being bipedal. The first experiment involved observing human and non-human primates and their difference in methods of locomotion. All of the people observed used two feet to get around. At the same time they all made use of their hands whether it was the biker steering his bicycle or the multiple people on holding their cell phones. On the other hand, the video of the gorilla demonstrated quadrupedalism. While the gorilla was able to go from walking slowly to running on all fours, it was unable to use its hands for other tasks. The gorilla demonstrated knuckle walking because they have many wrist and forearm features that allow them to do so (Hirji, 2009). Through observations in the video as well as at the zoo, it was easy to see that non-human primates do not have a skeletal structure that is specialized in bipedal locomotion. All in all bipedalism is necessary in order to carry objects and complete other tasks while moving. Therefore, the human body was able to evolve to compensate for bipedal locomotion. The next station involved putting the observations from station one into...
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...Course: Bioanthropology Student Name: Wei-Yi Tsao Professor: Neal Endacott Observation Date: 10/26/2014 Zoo Report: Primate Observation Introduction I visited Woodland Park Zoo on October 26, 2014. The weather was rainy and due to the weather issue animals at the zoo mostly don’t have much of the movement and some of them are at their indoor area that cannot be seen by visitors. Even though the weather wasn’t the best for zoo visiting, I still found this experience very interesting. I observed six species including Patas monkeys, Orangutan, Black and white colobus monkeys, Red ruffed lemurs, Western lowland gorillas, and human from six different locomotor patterns and found out the relationship between their locomotor patterns and anatomy. Discussion/Data Collection Patas monkeys, also called red guenons, are terrestrial quadruped monkeys in the family Cercopithecidae and the only species found in the genus Erythrocebus. (Refer to Table 2.1.) Patas monkeys are primarily ground-dwelling primates found in African open bush and grass savanna, they have a narrow thorax, a reduced tail, restricted shoulder joints, shortened digits and lengthened tarsal and metatarsal like humans, robust radius and their ulna has a large insertion point of triceps brachii which provides them a powerful forearm extensor and allows them for terrestrial running with only fingers and toes making contact with the ground, they are fast runners. They can run 56 km per hour, and probably spend...
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...Holistic (multifaceted): approach to the study of human beings. Refers to an approach that studies many aspects of a multifaceted system. Cross-cultural: discovering general patterns about cultural traits Two broad classification of anthropology Biological (Physical) Seeks the emergence of humans & their later evolution (called human paleontology) and how & why contemporary human populations vary biologically (human variation) Study the fossils of human, prehumans & related animals Human genetics, population biology & epidemiology Cultural How & why cultures vary or are similar in the past & present Archaeology: study of past cultures Anthropological linguistics: study of language Ethnology: study of existing & recent cultures Archaeology Seek to reconstruct the daily life & customs of peoples who lived in the past but also to trace cultural changes & to offer possible explanations for those changes Deal with prehistory (time before written records) Historical archaeology: studies the remains of recent peoples who left written records Must used info from present & recent past in trying to understand the distant past Linguistics Study of languages Had to construct a dictionary & grammar, then could study the structure & history of language Study changes that have taken place over time Historical linguistics: study of how languages change over time & how they may be related Descriptive: focus of linguistics ...
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...ANTHROPOLOGY REPORT When I first received the assignment that required me to go to the San Diego Zoo, I wasn’t thrilled in the least. I hadn’t been to the Zoo since I was a very young boy. But, after arriving at the Zoo, on that beautiful Friday morning, I was pleasantly surprised how fun and educational it was to conduct an observation of our absolutely amazing non-human primates! I started my visit by observing the Sumatran Orangutans and the Bornean Orangutans. There were three adult Orangutans in the enclosure. One male, “Satu”, stood four and one half feet tall weighing approximately ninety nine to two hundred and twenty pounds along with his two adult female companions, “Janey” and “Karen”. Both females stood approximately three and one half feet tall weighing approximately, seventy seven to one hundred eleven pounds. The females were clearly much smaller physically than the male and appeared to be much more social than the males as well. While observing the Orangutans, I was able to speak to a Zoo volunteer that gave me general Orangutan information most importantly that the Orangutans are considered to be the smartest of all primates and are categorized as a critically endangered species. The Orangutan that stood out from the others was “Janey”. Janey will be fifty years old this year. She was brought to the San Diego Zoo in 1984 at fifteen years old after living the first fifteen years of her life with a family in England. Janey is extremely interactive...
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...because of their intelligence, ability to feel compassion and creations of society. However, in the world of anthropology, that belief has been continuously challenged by evidence of humanlike qualities seen in primates. There is a term called ‘anthropomorphism’ which has been used to describe the concept of projecting human abilities, characteristics or qualities to non-human entities such as inanimate objects or animals. Primates get anthropomorphized because they are so similar to humans, but this tends to frowned upon in science because primates are only recognized as animals, even though it is important because it highlights many of the things that make human beings human....
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...“Aging in the World’s Smallest Primate” Mouse lemurs “World’s smallest Primates” in this article titled “Teeth, Sex, and Testosterone: Aging in the World’s Smallest Primate” co-authored by Sarah Zohdy, Brian D. Gerber, Stacey Tecot, Marina B. Blanco, Julia M. Winchester, Patricia C. Wright, Jukka Jernvall. They hypnotized that “by comparing the longevity of captive and wild animals, we can begin to understand how the physiological and behavioral demands of captive and wild environments affect the aging process” [1]. They chose the wild mouse lemur because “captive research has demonstrated that mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp.) are an excellent model for understanding the behavioral and physiological correlates of human aging [1, 12, 13].” From...
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...{ Gibbons are apes with long arms, they are rare, slender, small, and are tree - dwelling. These primates are known for their performance of brachiation, they leap from tree to tree in large gaps and are very rapid. Gibbons are creatures who do not spend a lot of their time on the ground they like to spend most of their lifetime in trees. They are not the easiest prey to catch as they swing through the trees so quickly and in big such gaps that almost no predators are able to catch them. Gibbons are separated into different species. One of the species of gibbons is the siamang, which is the darkest and the largest of the gibbons. Gibbons are endangered due to the deforestation of their habitats. Gibbons are found in the Southeast portion of...
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...WHEN GUESTS ARRIVE AT THE YERKES Regional Primate Research Center in Georgia, where I work, they usually pay a visit to the chimpanzees. And often, when she sees them approaching the compound, an adult female chimpanzee named Georgia will hurry to the spigot to collect a mouthful of water. She'll then casually mingle with the rest of the colony behind the mesh fence, and not even the sharpest observer will notice anything unusual. If necessary, Georgia will wait minutes, with her lips closed, until the visitors come near. Then there will be shrieks, laughs, jumps-and sometimes falls-when she suddenly sprays them. I have known quite a few apes that are good at surprising people, naive and otherwise. Heini Hediger, the great Swiss zoo biologist, recounts how he-being prepared to meet the challenge and paying attention to the ape's every move-got drenched by an experienced chimpanzee. I once found myself in a similar situation with Georgia; she had taken a drink from the spigot and was sneaking up to me. I looked her straight in the eye and pointed my finger at her, warning in Dutch, "I have seen you!" She immediately stepped back, let some of the water dribble from her mouth, and swallowed the rest. I certainly do not wish to claim that she understands Dutch, but she must have sensed that I knew what she was up to, and that I was not going to be an easy target. Now, no doubt even a casual reader will have noticed that in describing Georgia's actions, I've implied human qualities...
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...Formal Lab Report Gibbon Research Lab Gibbon Formal Lab Report Aviv Goldshide New Community Jewish Hight School Biology Period B Mrs. Tarle December 2, 2014 Introduction Gibbons are small and endangered apes who are also known to be one of the most acrobatic species in the world. The gibbons use their acrobatic skills to leap distances of forty feet while being 200 feet in the air, flying at 35 miles per hour. These acrobatic skills usually come into play when they swing from one branch to branch (brachiating). Some sorts of gibbons are extremely rare. For example, the Eastern black gibbon is on list of the rarest primates in the wild and the Hainan gibbon is the rarest mammal in the world. The Gibbon Conservation Center was...
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...Termites are one of chimpanzees’ favorite foods when Mother Nature decides to make it rain. But the question is how do these chimps become successful in capturing these termites that settle in small holes in the trees? Well it is due to their intelligence, in which they modify grass into a tool, which is known as termite fishing. In the article, Tool-Set for Termite-Fishing by Chimpanzees in the Ndoki Forest, Congo, it states that observations strongly states chimpanzees used two types tools in catching the termites, which are perforating sticks and fishing probes. In the first step they pluck a twig and begin to pick the leaves off making become just a stem. Then secondly they stick the twig into where the termites’ lye and wait a few second...
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...Midterm Exam Assessment Essay: “Chimpanzees are Human’s Closest Living Non-human Primate Relatives” Table of Contents Answer to letter A……………………………………………………………………..Pages 2 to 4 Answer to letter B………………………………………………………………………Pages 4 to 7 Answer to letter C………………………………………………………………………Pages 7 to 8 References…………………………………………………………………………………Page 9 For many years, scientists have supported through DNA and behavioral observation that chimpanzees are human’s closest relatives. Also, the advance in technology has enable scientists to find similarities and differences between humans and chimpanzees. DNA has revealed that Homo sapiens and chimpanzees are 98.5 to 99 percent identical. If an individual observes a chimpanzee, he or she will be surprised with the emotional, behavioral, and physical similarities one shares with the chimpanzees. A) The evidence that supports the statement that chimpanzees are Human’s closest living non-human Primate Relatives are DNA and the chimpanzee’s cultural behavior. DNA studies have shown that Homo sapiens and chimpanzees share 99 percent of identical DNA. In the article, “What Makes Us Human?” Katherine S. Pollard focuses on the 1 percent of DNA that makes humans and chimpanzees different. However, the findings revealed a closer relationship between humans and chimpanzees, and explanations of how genes have mutated throughout time. Pollard reports that the human accelerated region 1 (HAR1) “might be part of a gene new to science that is...
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...Ka 'apor Capuchin Cebus kaapori Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Suborder: Haplorrhini Infraorder: Simiiformes Parvorder: Platyrrhini Family: Cebidae Subfamily: Cebinae Genus: Cebus Species: C. kaapori Other names: Untufted Capuchin. For a long time the taxonomy of the Ka'apor Capuchin monkey was (and sometimes still is) strongly argued (Alfaro, Silva & Rylands, 2012). When it was first discovered by Ferrari and Queiroz in 1992 some believed that Cebus kaapori should be classed as a sub species of Cebus olivaceous. However nowadays it is considered by many to be its own individual species. It is also the only species of capuchin with no sub species (Boubli, Rylands, Farias, Alfaro & Alfaro, 2012).The Ka’apor capuchin is a member of the Cebidae family, one of five families that fall under the Platyrrhini Parvorder, classing this species as one of the New World Monkeys. Morphology: Compared to most other primate species, the Ka’apor capuchin is relatively small, growing no larger than roughly 60cm in height and 45cm in length. The species has relatively long limbs compared to its trunk size allowing efficient quadrupedal movement through the tree canopy which is a large benefit due to the species being predominately arboreal, they have also been noted to be bipedal however this is quite a rare occurrence. They possess a semi-prehensile tail that is mainly used during feeding unlike the other New World Monkeys...
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