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ANTH 1-Physical Anthropology
Project 2: A Trip to The Zoo

What you do:

Read this handout carefully BEFORE your trip to the zoo. You are going to study two of the various non-human primates currently on display at the local zoo. You will probably need to add additional Research after your visit to acquire additional information on such things as:

Their normal group composition and any features or behaviors that were interesting to observe, including locomotion, sexual dimorphism, feeding behavior, social behavior, and so on.

You may obtain this Research information from the library or from reputable internet sites. Keep a photocopy of all text pages or library material cited in your Project. Keep a print-out copy of all referenced websites. As you know by now, any printed material or website you cite in your Project must be either photocopied or “printed out” and attached to the back of your completed Project. You do not need to include miscellaneous photocopies or print outs which are not cited (either paraphrased or directly quoted). In other words, I don’t want the entire textbook or chapter photocopied or entire website printed out. I just want the text page or web section which applies to your research.

Go to the Zoo.

Go early enough to have plenty of time to observe the primates. They are often most active in the morning. If the weather is poor, you may want to call the zoo. Zoos sometimes close if it rains, and the primates may hide if it is too cold and wet.

Bring:
    your class notes on primates, and any other notes you may have, as well as your text book
    this entire handout
    something to write with
    something to write on
    Optional: binoculars if you have them or can borrow a pair; they are great for watching facial expressions, use of hands, and so on
    Optional: a camera. This is completely optional, but some people have enjoyed taking photos

From the non-human primates on display, pick two that are visible and reasonably active. Observe members of each species for at least an hour. Two hours or more would be better.  An entire day or more is ideal. Take notes about their physical characteristics and behavior. Although you will turn these notes in, the notes are meant to be a tool to direct your attention as you observe the primates, not a polished final product. Be sure to look for and record the information you will need to address the parts of the written Report as described below.

Try to verify (or contradict) the claims about behavior, sexual dimorphism, and other features that you find in your Research. Zoo staff are often happy to talk about the animals, answer questions (is that one a juvenile or an adult female? etc.), and point out interesting things you might not have noticed.

How Your Project may be Crafted:

No cover sheet. No folders, binders or envelopes. No paperclips. Binder clips and staples are suggested.

This outline will help you arrange your pages into your final finished Project.

Turn in a report of at least four pages that summarizes your observations of each of the two species, covering the points listed below. Each completed Project must include:

The first section, which is the Report and any illustrations, if used.

Then, a Works Cited page. Four to six sources would probably be sufficient.

Attach your photocopies and print-outs of your cited supplementary Research.

How your Report may be Written:

You may not have all the specifics covered in your direct observational data. Don’t panic if that’s the case. You should, however, be able to address all the major sections described in the rest of this document. Avoid using first-person pronouns (I, me, my). Make good use of your time. Your Report can be written in four pages (five maximum).

You may use the common names for your two species, but give the proper scientific name at least once, in standard format (italicized or underlined, genus capitalized, species lower case, such as Homo sapiens.)

You may include illustrations in addition to the Report if you wish, but the illustrations do not count for total-page-length. In other words, you must write at least four pages of standard text. Attach illustrations and/or photos as appendices to the Report.

Draft sections of your Report using the material below as a suggested outline. You do not need to include headings in your Report.

I. Introduction (10 points):

First short paragraph:

Common and scientific name of the two species

Time and date of your observations

Brief description of the enclosure and the setting the primates are in

What sort of environment is this enclosure supposed to imitate?

How does this compare to their wild habitat?

Second short paragraph:

What is the size of the group and its age and sex composition? (Examples: a pair of parents with an infant; three adult males, two adult females, and a juvenile; etc.)

How does this compare with the kinds of groups that this primate forms in the wild?

How might this affect the primate's behavior compared to how it acts in the wild?

II. Physical characteristics (20 points):

One paragraph addressing the following:

Does the primate have a tail? If so, is it prehensile? How did you see it being used?

Can you tell the sexes apart? How? Describe any dimorphism in size or features

Can you see the canines (canine teeth) of any of the individuals? How big are they compared to the other teeth, or to the canines of other primates you see around? Under what circumstances did you get a glimpse of the canines? (Some zoo animals have had their canines filed down for safety reasons.)

Does the primate have any other notable or interesting physical features, either that you read about or that you personally observed?

III. Motor behavior (20 points):

One paragraph addressing the following:

Describe how the primate moves around. Please describe what you actually saw, as concisely as possible. Does it stay on the ground, or climb? Does it hop or leap, and if so, does it do so on the ground or in branches, starting in what position, etc.? Does it walk quadrupedally? Does it ever walk bipedally? If so, how does its form of bipedalism differ from a human's? Does it brachiate? Does it use its forelimbs and hindlimbs differently in locomotion, and if so, how? How does it hold its hands and feet while moving around -- palm/sole down, edge of foot down, grasping, leaning on knuckles, etc.? A single primate may use several different forms of locomotion.

What positions does the primate take when it is not moving around? If it sits, does it sit on the ground, on a branch, etc.? What does it do with its legs? What position is its torso in? If it eats or handles objects, describe the way it uses its limbs, digits, mouth, etc. (picking up seeds with thumb and forefinger; grasping a branch with one hand and using teeth to rip off bark; cupping food in its right palm; etc.)

IV. Social behavior (20 points):

One paragraph on the following topics:

Describe the behavior and interactions you observe. What did they do? Try to identify the sex and adult/juvenile/infant age category of the participants. (For example, if one individual grooms another, are they two males, two females, or a male and a female? Do infants and juveniles behave differently from adults, and how? Do adults behave differently with infants than with juveniles or other adults? How does a mother handle her infant, and what does the infant do?)

Notice not only the behavior, but also how the other individuals respond to it. Some possible behaviors to watch for and describe:

interactions with others while getting food and eating

chasing/being chased (which age and sex chases, and which is chased? etc.)

vocalizing (what causes them to vocalize? How do the others respond?)

grooming (is it self-grooming, or are multiple individuals involved? Do all get an equal amount of grooming, or is one getting a better deal?)

is an adult carrying or caring for an infant (is the adult male or female? what does it do?

agonistic displays, dominance and submission behaviors (showing canines, getting preferential access to water or food; taking something away from another individual without resistance, etc.)

forming coalitions (such as two individuals defending themselves against a third)

courtship or mounting

interactions with human primate visitors (how might these parallel "normal" interactions with other primates of the same or other species in the wild? That is, what "natural" situations or interactions are the humans simulating?)

V. Evolutionary Explanations: (20 points)

This is the critical thinking element in this assignment:

Throughout the report, suggest evolutionary explanations for any observations that you can. What selection pressures might have given rise to the more interesting physical characteristics, motor behavior, and/or social interactions that you observed? What function might they have in terms of ecological adaptations, evolutionary theory, social strategies, or mating strategies? How could the features or behaviors have improved the reproductive success of individuals who had them? Be creative, but try to be logical, too.

VI. Works Cited (10 points):
 

MLA citation style.

Questions? Comments? Corrections?? email me!

Last Updated-

1/06