Anthropology Zoo assignment(BIOANTHROPOLOGY)

Zoo Report:

Primate Observation

Anthropology 215

See Course Syllabus for Due Date.

Do not be overwhelmed by the length of this assignment. To see what you need to do, see the sections on preparation and procedure, below. These two sections explain the assignment step-by-step. The final section on Primate Locomotor Patterns is information for your use and reference. I will also go over primate locomotor patterns in lecture.

OBJECTIVES:

· Know and be able to recognize general characteristics of primate anatomy and locomotion.

· Recognize correlations between patterns of locomotion, primate anatomy, and behavior.

· Visit Woodland Park Zoo (or another zoological park) and observe, compare, and contrast at least four species of primates. Also include one non-primate mammal in your comparison, for a total of five animals. Students are permitted to do some of their observation outside of the zoo, but a trip to a local zoo is required for this assignment (unless you plan to Safari in Tanzania this quarter)!

· Practice written communication skills, by producing a laboratory report that records your observations of four different locomotor and corresponding behavior patterns of primates at the zoo, as well as the non-primate mammal that you have chosen to include in your comparison.

PREPARATIONS:

· Read the material below about primate patterns of locomotion.

· Review the Assigned Reading on Primates and Primate Behavior.

· Review the Prelab Reading Material from the Osteology and Locomotion Lab..

· Read the material below about primate locomotor patterns.

· Visit http://zoo.org to familiarize yourself with Woodland Park Zoo (or locate a web site for the zoo in your area), the animals that are present, maps and directions, etc. You may find this information very useful in identifying the taxonomic classifications of various animals, investigating background about particular animals, and planning your time effectively. You may use the web-site to identify the primates at the zoo and select one representative of each of the assigned six locomotor patterns. Remember that you are also encouraged to view the primates outside of the zoo enclosures.

PROCEDURE:

· OBSERVE: Visit Woodland Park Zoo (or another zoo in the area with a good primate collection) and locate four species of primate, each exhibiting one of six different primary locomotor patterns (arboreal quadruped, terrestrial quadruped, brachiator, knuckle walker, leaper, and biped). You must include at least four different primate locomotor patterns. Hint: it is okay if you observe a species of primate found outside the enclosures. For comparison, choose one non-primate mammal and observe its locomotion and behavior as well. Spend at least fifteen minutes observing each species.

· CLASSIFY: Identify the kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species of each animal observed. Include this information in your lab report table. The following webpages will be helpful in determining the taxonomic classification of various primates:

· http://anthro.palomar.edu/primate/table_primates.htm

· http://anthro.palomar.edu/animal/table_humans.htm (This is the taxonomic classification for humans (H. sapiens), so I am effectively giving you the answers for this section for one species, if you choose to include H. sapiens in your report. All of the other primates you observe will share identical classification up to the Order Primates. The first website will help you fill in the blanks beyond the level of order.

· LOCOMOTION: Spend at least fifteen minutes per species observing the locomotion of each species (in some cases you may need to watch more than fifteen minutes in order to observe significant movement). Record date, time of day, weather conditions, and all types of movement observed. Compare the movements you observed with the anatomy of the species (or a close relative). Record the key anatomical features that enabled the movement(s) observed. Present the data you have collected in a table. The table should include all five species observed, and should be included in your lab report.

· BEHAVIOR: Spend at least fifteen minutes per species observing the behavior of each (in some cases you may need to watch more than fifteen minutes in order to observe significant behavior). Record date, time of day, weather conditions, and all types of behavior observed. Compare the behavior you observed with the anatomy of the species (or a close relative). Record the key anatomical features that enabled the behavior(s) observed. Include observation of at least one exhibited behavior that demonstrates social interaction. Present the data you have collected in a table. The table should include all five species observed, and should be included in your lab report.

· REFLECTION ESSAY: Identify one similarity between any two species you observed, and one difference. The similarity and difference do not have to be from the same species. Explore, elaborate, explain, and analyze the similarity and difference you have identified. Prepare an essay of your observations (approximately 400 words) explaining what this exercise has taught you about locomotor patterns of primates, relationships between locomotion and behavior, and relationships between humans and other primates. Reflection essays should discuss social interaction as well as locomotion and behavior.

· Submit the completed report on the canvas discussion board.

· RESPOND substantively to at least two of your classmates posted reports. Responses should be at least 100 words.

· EACH COMPLETED LAB REPORT IS TO INCLUDE:

· A HEADING THAT STATES WHICH ZOO YOU VISITED, AND THE DATE OF THE VISIT.

· ONE TABLE, INCLUDING CLASSIFICATION, LOCOMOTION, BEHAVIOR, AND ALL OTHER RELEVANT OBSERVATIONS*.

· ONE SUMMARY OF WHAT YOU LEARNED ABOUT LOCOMOTOR PATTERNS AND SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS IN THIS ASSIGNMENT.

· FOLLOW THE REQUIREMENTS OUTLINED IN THE DISCUSSION RUBRIC.

*I do not care what format you use for the table. You are not being graded on your level of technological or mathematical expertise for this assignment. Just present the required material in an organized fashion. Below is one example of an appropriate table template for this assignment (clearly, the columns are not to scale). If you like, you can use this template for your report, but this is not required.

Common Name
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Weather or other environmental conditions
Primary Locomotor Patterns
Anatomical Features that enable movement
Primary Behavior Patterns
Anatomical Features that enable behavior
Social Interaction

The material below is adapted, in part, from:

Department of Department of Anthropology, College of Liberal Arts , UT Austin

http://www.life.umd.edu/classroom/bsci338m/Lectures/Primates.html

Primate Locomotor Anatomy

Much of primate anatomy reflects habits of movement. Since the powerful legs of most primates are slightly longer than their arms, the pelvis is normally higher than the head when standing quadrupedally. However a few species exhibit extreme locomotor specialization, emphasizing arms for arm-swinging, legs for leaping, or arms and legs comparable in length for quadrupedal climbing or walking on the ground. Thus, limb length (Intermembral Index or IM = Length of Humerus + Radius x 100/ Length of Femur + Tibia) can serve as an index of the relative emphasis upon the arm versus the leg for propulsion.

1. Short limbs with leg and arm comparable - quadrupedal and arboreal

These animals walk on larger horizontal tree branches as if they were pathways. Short, usually robust, arms and legs lower their center of gravity. IM index is usually about 80 but approaches 100 in howler monkeys. Other characteristics include moderately sized fingers and toes; very prehensile hands and feet; and relatively mobile shoulder joints located and directed sternally on the thorax. Some species, especially those which perform spectacular leaping feats, have flexible, elongated backs (with extra vertebra) and powerful musculature associated with the back and hind limb. A few species of monkey in the Americas have somewhat prehensile tails that serve to anchor the animal when it feeds near the ends of branches.

2. Very long limbs with leg and arm of comparable length - quadrupedal and arboreal with an emphasis on quadrupedal climbing and suspension

A few primate species in the Family Lorisidae combine quadrupedal suspensory climbing with quadrupedal arborealism, requiring great joint mobility and wide range of movement. IM index is about 90. Their hands and feet are particularly prehensile.

3. Long limbs with leg and arm of equal length - quadrupedal and terrestrial

Terrestrial quadrupeds tend to have shortened digits and elongated, robust tarsal and metatarsal elements. IM index is above 90. The shoulder joint, lying alongside the narrow and laterally flattened thorax, is oriented toward the ground (Figure 7-34). The weak clavicular-sternal joint is easily dislocated from the segmented sternum. Arms and legs, modified for powerful sagittal motions, have a relatively small range of movement. The humerus bears a prominent deltoid process (the attachment surface for the deltoid muscle) and the ulna has a large olecranon process, the insertion point of the muscle triceps brachii, a powerful forearm extensor. Hands are pronated when in contact with the ground. One species, the patas monkey, is digitigrade (like a cat), with specialized anatomy for terrestrial running in which only fingers and toes make contact with the ground.

4. Arm longer than leg - brachiation and arboreal

Brachiation (arm swinging) is a special form of locomotion in which the body is suspended below branches. It allows utilization of small branches near the fringe of a tree canopy since the brachiator is suspended beneath its handholds. In contrast, a large bodied quadruped that tries to walk on a small branch has difficulty balancing as the supporting tree limb bends. A brachiator can easily exploit the very fringe of a tree canopy by dispersing its weight to the ends of several branches. New World brachiators use their prehensile tail as a fifth prehensile limb to further disperse weight. Most rapid brachiation is attained by using gravity to convert vertical height to speed. IM index is 100 or above.

Brachiation generally is associated with major alterations in the arm, hand, and thorax. The shoulder joint is positioned laterally and cranially on a barrel-shaped thorax. Robust muscles attach to the sternum, vertebral column, head, and rib cage, stabilizing the shoulder. The more powerful the arm movements, the more robust the stabilizing musculature must be. The clavicle acts as a strut to stabilize the shoulder joint against a sternum whose segments unite to form a single bone. This clavicular-sternal joint is very strong and is not easily dislocated. A relatively round head of the humerus reflects a very wide range of motion. Additional elbow strength results from a more distinct separation of the radius and ulna on the articular surfaces of the distal humerus. The olecranon process of the ulna is small, allowing full extension of robust forearms. Brachiators tend to have reduced thumbs (Figure 7-40). If a thumb is present, it is folded out of the way against the palm where it does not interfere with elongated fingers that hook or snag handholds. The lumbar region of the vertebral column is shortened and stabilized, and a very mobile hip joint allows the foot to grasp anchorage in a wide range of positions.

There are several types of brachiators. Gibbons and siamangs, who use arm swinging as a major means of travel, are the best brachiators. Chimpanzee, gorillas, and humans are capable of this type of brachiation, but do not practice it as a primary means of locomotion. The orangutan combines quadrupedal climbing and brachiation, but like chimpanzees and gorillas, is typically a terrestrial quadruped.

At least one New World primate, the spider monkey, practices a variation of brachiation in which the body is kept vertical while brachiation is performed by hands, feet and sometimes the tail. This requires unusually long legs and mobile hips. When moving at slower speeds or while feeding, the spider monkey behaves as an arboreal quadruped. Its tail is the most prehensile of any primate.

5. Arm longer than leg - quadrupedal knuckle-walking and fist walking

Knuckle-walking is quadrupedal locomotion with the hands pronated and fingers flexed resulting in dorsal surfaces of the middle phalanges contacting the ground, supporting the weight on the knuckles. Gorillas and chimpanzees are habitual knuckle-walkers, whereas orangutans usually move quadrupedally with the hand made into a fist. IM indexes for the chimpanzee, gorilla, and orangutan are 102, 116, and 139, respectively.

6. Leg longer than arm - leaping and arboreal

A special class of leaping locomotor behavior, in which the body is positioned vertically at rest, is called vertical clinging and leaping. It requires powerful hind limbs to propel the leap as well as to break the impact of landing. Most (but not all) vertical clinging and leaping species have a tail that is used to maintain altitude control during leaps. Rapid movements are so well-coordinated during flight that the animal transits the crown of a tree without appearing to make contact with branches. This visual impression of suspending the laws of gravity fueled many "ghost" myths associated with vertical clinging and leaping primates. There is a tendency toward elongation of tarsal elements, especially calcaneus and navicular. Posterior elongation of tuberosity of the calcaneus serves as a robust lever arm for the muscles gastrocnemius and soleus, powerful flexors of the foot. The tendency for fusion of the tibia and fibula is fully expressed only in the tarsier. IM index is below 70.

7. Leg longer than arm - bipedalism

Though obligate bipedalism is found only among humans, many other primate species are capable of facultative bipedalism. Foot specializations for bipedalism include an enlarged and robust tarsal region, greatly reduced phalanges, and strong ligaments that bind tarsals and metatarsals into shock-absorbing longitudinal and transverse plantar arches. A large calcaneus tuberosity acts as a lever arm for plantar flexion. The most unique character of the long, robust legs is the placement of the knees (when in anatomical position) close to the median sagittal plane, functionally beneath the body's center of gravity. The knee itself is adapted to locking in full extension with deep groves to stabilize the patella, a bone that forms in tendons of the quadriceps muscle. The broadened hip becomes a primary weight-bearing joint, characterized by an enlarged femur head as a weight-bearing surface. Pelvic anatomy is dramatically rearranged. A relatively broad sacrum positioned above the hip joint transfers weight to the femur head via a wide and robust illium. A shortened ischium places the ischial tuberosity relatively close to the acetabulum. The vertebrae, increasing in size progressively from skull to sacrum, are arranged in a ventral-dorsal S-shaped curve above the pelvis. Though free of locomotor tasks, the arm retains the range of movement seen in brachiators. IM index is 70.

8. Climbing by nails

Elongated and laterally compressed nails of callithricines have the functional attributes of claws. Although they climb by grasping small branches, they are able to use these specialized nails to cling to relatively flat, vertical surfaces of larger trees. IM index ranges from 70 to 80.

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