Describing the morphology and behavior of zoo gorilla, white-handed gibbon and golden lion tamarin - Essay Example

Behavior of Gorilla, White-handed Gibbon and Golden Lion Tamarin in the Zoo White-handed Gibbon Gibbons are rare, small, slender, long-armed, tree dwelling apes. This section describes their behavior based on feeding, locomotion, resting, use of hands and feet. Gibbons are omnivores hence they eat meat and plants. 75% of their diet consists of fruits (Ronald).They also eat leaves, flowers, seeds, tree bark, and tender plant shoot. On the side of meat they eat insects, spiders, eggs and small bird.

When it comes to sleeping, gibbons do not make sleeping nests, they sleep alone in which a few others huddle together in a fork between branches .They sleep sitting upright, resting on tough pads located on their rare ends. These pads are called ischial callosities. They are extremely acrobatic and agile. They spend most of their times on trees .They move by swinging gracefully from branches and vines, a practice called branchiating. When they branchiate they use four fingers like a hook but the thumb is not used.

When on the ground they walk bipedally.Behavior of the Gorilla Gorillas have the behavior of living in many social groupings called troops led by a dominant male called the silverback. They are primarily herbivores where they feed on roots, shoots fruits, wild celery, tree barks and foliage. In rear cases, they also feed on insects. These primates have thumbs that are opposable on their hands and feet which allow them to have firm grasp of objects and especially branches of trees. The gorillas may walk upright but they walk in a hunched quadrupedal fashion with their hands in a curled position and their knuckles also in a curled position.

The armspan of the gorillas is long which allows them to walk in their quadruped led situation. The behavior of the Golden Lion Tamarin The Golden Lion Tamarin is of four species and this work covers its ecological factors. They feed mainly on fruits, and play an important role in seed dispersal. They also feed on flowers and nectar, and prey on small animals such as frogs, snails, lizards and spiders, and may opportunistically feed on gums, saps and latex from trees. Their communication is chemically through marked throughout the territories.

Reproductive males and females scent and their non-productive counterparts rarely do so .They also uses visual vocals of their group and conspecifics. Hence they have a social structure. Reproductive males and females do the scent marking unlike the juveniles or non-reproductive individuals still in there natal the tamarin has tegulae which are claw like nails .This tegulae enables it to cling to the sides of the tree trunks. It may also move quadrupedally along the small branches whether through walking, running, leaping or bounding.

The morphology and movement of the animal affects the seed dispersal through its feces. They are characterized by using manipulative foraging under the tree barks and epiphytic bromeliads. Their sites of foraging are around the homes which are large territories .The western lowland gorilla is large ape, covered in black hair. The face is bare black skin as is the chest. They are herbivores feeding on vegetables frugivore their diet consists of vegetation, some fruits, and nuts. They will also eat invertebrates such as termites.

It is nearly impossible to suppress facial expressions while experiencing certain emotions, but some gestures of the limbs and body may be more consciously produced. A facial expression communicates an emotional state of being, which, when viewed, gives the receiver an immediate impression of what the other is feeling. The western lowland gorilla supports their weight on the backs of the third and fourth fingers of the curled hands. This type of locomotion is called "knuckle-walking". The trend of sleeping is on the nests which are constructed during the day and used at night.

They tend to relate to each other where the female to male relationship is strong in order to gain a strong mating opportunity and protection from predators .While female to female isn’t that close, this is similar when it comes to male to male relationship.Work CitedRobins Martha M,Pascale Sicotte and Kelly J.Stewart. Mountain Gorilla .Three Decades of research at Karisoke Cambridge:Cambridge University Press 2005.