Primates Observation

As was learned throughout the semester, although most primates have the same, general primitive traits, such as opposable thumbs or stereoscopic vision, there are still quite a bit of differences amongst the different species, especially in regards to those who fall under the categories of New World (platyrrhines) and Old World monkeys (catarrhines). For the most part, New World monkeys, such as the Golden Headed Lion Tamarins, have “flat noses” with nostrils facing sideways as well as prehensile tails that are usually used as a fifth leg and facilitate their life on the trees. As for Old World monkeys, however, these monkeys, such as the Francois’ Langurs, have “narrow” noses with downward facing nostrils and lack a grasping tail. Therefore,

Although the Chimpanzees did spend some time on the trees towards the end of my observation, it did not compare to the amount of time spent on the ground looking for food. However, when it came to the White Cheek Gibbons, they spent the majority of their time on the trees, which, coincidentally, aligns with what we’ve learned in class that smaller primates tend to spend more time on trees while the bigger primates spend more time on the ground. As for physical differences, the most prominent difference between the two species is their body size—the small size of the Gibbons allows for quick and swift movements on the tree, while the bigger size of the Chimpanzees limits their ability to move quickly and at ease on the tree and the ground, which explains why they spend so much time sitting and eating food instead of constantly swinging from branch to branch. When it comes to social activity, however, the Gibbons engaged in a great deal of social activity in the form of grooming one another. As for the Chimpanzees, they stayed near each other at all times, but didn’t necessarily interact with each other as much as the Gibbons

For example, whenever one chimpanzee would go outside, the rest would follow or when some began to climb a branch to get to a higher-level platform, the rest would follow as well. When it came to the social activity levels, however, because the gorillas had several young members in their group, there was certainly a high level of activity taking place, especially amongst the siblings. As for the Chimpanzees, while they did engage in walking and looking for food, they appear to be less active compared to the Gorillas, which could be due to the lack of youth in their group. Similarly, Chimpanzees appear to spend more time on the ground than they do on trees or high-level platforms. As for Gorillas, however, while the dad is on the ground at all times, the young members and some mothers spend a good amount of time either resting or eating on the trees. Overall, when it comes to social activity, I would argue that only the young members of the group engage in social activity, ranging from riding on each others backs to chasing each other on the trees. Chimpanzees also engage in social activity, mainly in the form of grooming and walking with each other, but certainly not as much as the young