Los Angeles Zoo Project

CLARISSA SERRANOAnthropology 101

Prof. Wolfe

General Observations:There are many primate characteristics that distinguish themselves from one another.I will be comparing characteristics between Old World Primates and New World Primates

Old World PrimatesThere were many Old World Primates present at the L.A Zoo including : Chimpanzees, Gorillas, Moustached Guenon, Francois Langur, Siamang, and the Orangutan ( unfortunately the Orangutan exhibit was closed ) Old World Monkeys are medium

to large size. Scientific name for OWM is

Catarrhines= Narrow Nosed Non-grasping tails Ischial Callosities= Padding on the

butt Varied habitat ( from rainforest to

desert) Opposable thumbs/ Briachiation Knuckle Walking Less Monogamous

Old World Monkey Observations

• Brachiation: Movement of the arms. Seen in only Old Word Primates

• SIAMANG- The largest of the Gibbons

• Found in mountains and forests of Malaysia and Sumatra

• Can be extremely vocal, can be heard up to 2.5 miles (4km)

New World Primates:There were many New World Primates including: the Buff-Cheeked Gibbon, Squirrel Monkey, Geoffroy’s Black-Handed Spider Monkey, and the Cotton top Tamarin. Small to medium size primates Scientific name for NWM is

Platyrrhini= Flat Nose Prehensile tail Arboreal= Primary tree dwellers Thumb sits in line with other

fingers ( some NWM have claws to help grasp)

Semi-Brachiation Monogamous pair ponds

New World Monkey Observations

• New World Monkeys have prehensile tails that that help them navigate through the forest.

• They have claws to help grasp on trees and hunt insects

• Arboreal

Sexual Dimorphism and Dichromatism

Sexual Dimorphism: Difference in body size between male and female Gorilla males is twice as big as females.

Sexual Dichromatism: Difference in color between male and female

30min ObservationI stuck around the chimpanzee exhibit and observed many primate behaviors including aggressiveness, threat gestures, allogrooming, mother infant activities.Unfortunately I wasn’t able to capture the aggressive behavior on film . What I saw was a male chimp exerting his dominance. He was expressing aggressive behavior by throwing pinecones. I also saw displays of affection towards mother and infant and plenty of grooming

Allogrooming

30 min. Observation con.t

Mother-Infant Bonding Chimp at an up right position

Animal Comparisons

Gorilla: • Strongest and Largest of the Old

World Primates• No tail• One male-multiple female

dynamic (Male dominant)• Primarily on ground

Francois Langer:• The Langer is on the smaller side

of Old World Primates.• Long tail (used for balance)• One male- multiple female

dynamic ( Male dominant)• Arboreal

Human Interactions

Gorilla doesn’t seem to be enjoying the company of human children. Children were tapping on the glass trying to get Gorillas attention. As you see gorilla turned his back to society.

Although Giraffes are not primates, I wanted to point out other human-animal interactions I encountered at the zoo. In the picture below, you see people feeding leaves to the giraffe.