Project 1: Primate Behavioral Observation
This assignment consists of two parts: (1) a taxonomic survey of primates and (2) a brief comparative study of two species based on behavioral observations. You are free to talk with other students, but your completed assignment must be based on your own work. Your completed assignment must be typed. Most species on display at the zoos have inside areas and may be out of view at times. Your observations should be based on visible animals. If animals are out of view, choose a different video link. Also note that these are live cameras; you should therefore do your observations during daylight hours, as you will not be able to see the animals at night.
PART I—Primate Species Survey
Prepare a taxonomic list of the seven primates listed below. For each species indicate the scientific name (genus and species), and the taxonomic placement (see example below). Remember that scientific species names must be underlined or italicized (e.g., Homo sapiens or Homo sapiens).
Sample Entry:
Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)
Sub-Order: Anthropoidea
Infra-Order: Catarrhini
Super-Family: Hominoidea
Family: Pongidae
Prepare taxonomic entries for the following species:
Angolan Colobus monkey
Black and White Ruffed Lemur
Black-handed spider monkey
White-cheeked Gibbon
Goldon-bellied Mangabey
Goldon Lion Tamarin
Bonobo
PART II—The Behavioral Profile: A Comparative Study
Assignment Overview: For this part of the assignment, you are asked to compare the activity budgets of two species of primate based on data collected during your observation. An activity budget is a general summary of how a species spends its time each day.
You will need to select two species—one Catarrhine (excluding humans) and one Platyrrhine or Prosimii—and conduct a 30 minute observation on each species using the attached data sheets. You will then need to write a summary report of your findings including a brief overview of the two species you have chosen. The comparative study is composed of the following three parts:
Use the following links to primate web-cams to complete your observations for Part 2:
http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/cams/ape-cam
http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/webcams/squirrel-monkey-cam/
http://www.houstonzoo.org/meet-the-animals/chimpanzee-window-cam/
