Read and follow the following instructions. If something is unclear, please feel free to contact me either in person or by e-mail.
Be sure to turn in a copy of your Zoo receipt with your assignment! This is my proof that you actually went to the zoo. Without it you will not receive credit for the assignment!
1) Print off 5 (five) copies of each of the two forms (pdf format):
Primate Classification, Morphology, and Locomotion Form (Be sure to provide common name on signs at zoo)
2) Choose five kinds of primates at the Fort Wayne Zoo
a) One should be a prosimian (i.e., the ring tailed lemurs)
b) One should be either a New World Monkey (i.e., capuchin monkeys, cotton-top tamarin, or spider monkeys) or Old World Monkey (i.e., speckled langurs at entrance to Indonesia, DeBrazza's monkey, Colobus monkey, or Alan's Swamp Monkey in Africa)
c) One should be an lesser ape (siamangs or gibbons along Indonesia walkway)
d) One should be a great ape (i.e., the orangutans)
e) The last group should be a group of humans (a family, a couple of families attending the zoo together)
3) Fill out the first form for each of the primates (for species designation check this web site [click here]).
4) For the second form, record the primate behaviors for a full five minute interval. Record the number of occurences for each of the groups of primates. If the primate never exhibits a given behavior write in "0".
Based upon the information you have recorded on the two forms, please provide type written answers for the following five questions:
5) Did you observe any differences in locomotion among the primate groups? What are they?
6) Did you observe any behavioral differences among the primate groups (frequency of grooming, play, agression, etc.)? What are they?
7) Did you see evidence for a dominance hierarchy within any of the primates you observed? Or, conversely, did the primates lack an apparent dominance hierarchy? Which ones and what was the nature of the social hierarchy?
8) What was the most common form of behavior observed for each of the five primates you choose to study?
9) Did you detect any other notable trends or tendencies in terms of each primate's locomotion or behavior (Were some primates more prone to locomote a particular way more often than another? Did some appear to be more sociable than others? Which ones?).
Be sure to hand in your typed answers, your filled in forms, and copy of your Zoo receipt with your assignment!
Assignment Due NO LATER
THAN - Fri, May 4th, 2007.
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This page was created and is maintained by Dr. Richard Sutter.
Last modified 13 April, 2007.