Zoo Observation of Two Types of Non-Human Primates - Term Paper Example

?Anthropology. Zoo observation of two types of non-human primate: orang utans and chimpanzees. The first thing that strikes an observer of the orang utan enclosure is that most of the individuals in the group display a preference for being alone or engaging in one to one activity. In a whole hour of observation there was very little that could be interpreted as group activity involving more than two individuals. The most active orang utan is a young male who engages in active swinging from branch to branch on the artificial tree equipment in the middle of the large enclosure. His movement on the ground is fast and fluid, and he leaps along, using hands and feet, and somersaulting as he goes. He looks left and right all the time, as if to scan for predators, and as soon as he reaches a tree trunk he swings up in an arm over arm gesture. His movement from branch to branch is even faster than his ground movement, showing an adaptation to life in the forest canopy. On the ground slightly apart from the tree equipment there is an older female and a younger orang utan who are engaging in what looks like affectionate teasing. This is probably a mother and child, but the younger individual is not a baby. This may be an adolescent. The pair roll about on the grass, and hug each other from time to time as they do so. Communication appears to be by touch, since they do not have much eye contact, and their interaction is mostly silent. The bond between the two is obviously close. At one point the solitary younger male approaches the two and reaches out as if to touch them, but the two ignore him and he distances himself again from them. None of the orang utans take any notice of the human observers on the perimeter of the enclosure. High up on a shelf there is another adult individual sitting in a crouched position. The full face is hidden, and so it is not obvious whether this is a male or female. It is easy to overlook this one because there was little movement and no sound. The orang utan looked down on the pair playing on the grass, but appeared not to be interested in what was going on. It may be that this orang utan was depressed, or simply bored with the same routine. There were several spells when the young male positioned himself at the edge of the enclosure, looking out and turning his back to the other individuals. This appeared to be a deliberate statement of independence from the rest, as if he were imitating the senior sitting up on the high shelf. He did not sustain this pose for long, however, and soon resumed his hyper-active swinging, grasping the suspended toys, and running along the ground. The key activities viewed were therefore play (both solo and in a mother/child pair) and observation of each other and the surrounding area. There was plenty of independent activity, but only the mother and child had any real close interaction with each other. This suggests that orang utans are fairly solitary creatures outside the mother/child unit. There is evidence of group awareness but it appears not to be the main concern of the orang utans observed. The chimpanzee group is much more vocal and there is a lot of interaction between individuals, with groups forming and dissolving all the time. There is also a larger number present, with at least 12 individuals moving around in a steady walk on their hands and feet. From time to time there is some screeching from one or two individuals, and the rest appear to be uneasy when they hear this. The screeches are made with bared teeth and agitated movements. The other chimpanzees look at the screeching chimpanzee and then look away again, sometimes making lip movements and raising eyebrows. Some chimpanzeess get up and move out of the way when an agitated individual approaches them. Many individuals sit for a time on the grass, picking items up and looking at them which suggests a foraging instinct. They do not appear to be eating what they find. It is not always evident which are males and which are females, especially in the younger individuals. There is one large male, however, who sits a little apart with one female beside him. A fight develops between two younger chimpanzees, and a large female steps in to push one of them away. It appears to be a male that she grabs, pulling his leg and forcing him to stop grasping at the other one. The male bares his teeth but in the end goes quietly. This behavior shows a female dominating a male chimpanzee, and this is echoed in the literature where observers note the general principle in chimpanzee society of dominance by size and weight, which favors males, with some superior roles reserved also for older females: “High ranking female chimpanzees may dominate low ranking males.” (Haviland and Prins, 2005, p. 74) The large male who is sitting apart from the rest does not get involved in the milling around of the group. He does occasionally watch what is going on but seems not to be very interested. An interesting behavior is seen in one chimpanzee who looks directly at the human observers. He turns his head to pay attention to someone shouting in the audience, and appears to be thinking about what he sees. Now and then he turns back to look at the chimpanzee group, but every so often he seems to be fascinated by the crowd. This may be a sign that he is new to zoo life and is still curious about what happens there. The other chimpanzees ignore the public. There is some grooming activity, and small chimpanzees chase each other under the watchful eye of several females. This appears to be a well regulated society, with hierarchies of more or less powerful individuals, and a well-developed communication based mainly on body language and some alarm calls and play screeching. The instances of aggression are mild, suggesting rough and tumble play rather than serious confrontation. Care for the young appears to be shared and there is one older male who acts as if he is the leader of the group. References Haviland, William A. and Prins, Harald E.L. Cultural Anthropology: The Human Challenge. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005. Read More