Please post your observations and information about your primate in the comments section. Make sure to include the primate's common name, scientific name, where found, IUCN status, and anything else interesting about your primate as well as your behavioral observations.
Hope you had a great day!!
Mrs. Jensen
At the San Diego Zoo trip, I observed the Black Mangabey monkey, also known as the Lophocebys Aterrimus. This fine specimen is found in the central Congo basin in the Damp Forests. Currently these monkeys are becoming endangered due to habitat destruction and hunting by humans. From what I observed, the two Black Mangabey monkeys groomed each other and ate leaves from branches. They had impeccable balance and preferred to stay close to each other, giving me the theory that they are very social animals.
ReplyDeleteOn our AP Biology field trip to the San Diego Zoo I observed the Red-cheeked Gibbon. It's scientific name being Nomascus Gabrellae. The Red-cheeked Gibbon is located in the damp forests of Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. It's IUNC status is endangered. Because of constant degradation of the population through hunting and destruction of their habitat through illegal logging, the Red-cheeked Gibbon is endangered. The gender of these monkeys can be distinguished by the color of their fur. The male is primarily black with blond cheeks and the female is blond with a black marking on it's head. The behavioral aspect of this monkey, as from what I observed, seems to lead to the hypothesis that the females movement provides motivation for the male to move. It seemed that during the first quarter of my observation, there was little to no movement of both the male and female, but once the female moved, the male followed suit. Other than this aspect the Red-cheeked Gibbon seems to favor a warmer area of the enclosure, as seen by both repeatedly going under the area with the heat lamp as well as both monkeys preferring to hang or balance on the tree when relaxing. Something I found interesting about the Red-cheeked Gibbon, is that they are very attentive and seem to listen to their surroundings often.
ReplyDeleteAt the San Diego Zoo Trip, I observed the Orangutans. It's scientific names are Pongo pygmaeus (Bornean orangutan) or Pongo abelii (Sumatran orangutan). The Orangutans are located in the tropical forests of Sumatra and Bornea. It's IUCN status is endangered. Due to the illegal trading for pets and bushmeat as well as threats of palm oil plantations, logging, roads, and fires destroying their habitat, the Orangutans are now endangered. The gender of these apes can be easily distinguished by the coloration of their fur. The male is slightly brownish and the female is reddish orange. From what I observed, the behavorial aspect of this ape seems to lead to the theory that orangutans associate with only their own kind and females and male do not associate with each other much. It seemed that during most of the time I observed, the young followed where the mother migrated and that its protective towards other species. Other than this aspect, the male orangutans seems to only be seen whenever the females and young are not in sight. Something I found interesting about the Orangutans is that they do not associate themselves with other species, just like with the Siamang and the young orangutan, and seems to be aware of its surroundings for other approaching animals.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe Black Mangabey monkey, scientifically referred to as the Lophocebys Aterrimus is an endangered specimen most commonly found in the Congo, though they are quickly losing their inhabitance there due to deforestation. They are very big on grooming themselves and each other which has become quite apparent to me by the twenty minutes of almost constant grooming I observed at the San Diego Zoo. Other habits include laying on bars or branches with amazing balance and eating leaves off the ground.
ReplyDeleteI observed the Mandrill at the zoo. It is also known as the Mandrillus Sphinx. It is found the rain forests in western Central Africa and it is a threatened species because it is hunted for its bushmeat and as people convert rain forests for agriculture and industry, mandrills lose their homes. They are interesting because they are very colorful with a blue and red nose and yellow fur around the neck (for males). One interesting fact about them is that they are the world's largest monkey!
ReplyDeletePlease read more about our observations on blissmontemayonnaise.blogspot.com, the mandrill we observed was acting strange in our opinion.
-Serena Luu
Block 2
I observed the Mandrillus Sphinx, or more commonly known as the Mandrill. They tend to live in more rain forest areas in their own native land over in Central Africa. The mandrill that I personally observed was a female and she was quite the character. She had less color on the top of her nose compared to the male as the male has a red snout and she had more of a gray white snout. She was a ever hyper active monkey as she constantly ran in the same circle about 5 times. She would occasionally stop at the same spot too and vigorously bite her legs and arms. I think she was extremely bored and was playing with itself. I think she was a mixture of hunger and curiosity as she took her poop in her hands and ate some bugs from the poop and then took the poop and spread it on a rock to find more little bugs. It was so interesting to me how smart they really are!
ReplyDelete-Bliss Montemayor
Block 2
I observed the Gorilla beringei beringi which is the silver-back gorilla at the zoo. These gorillas are found only in the jungles of Africa and are highly endangered with around only 700 individuals left in the wild. These gorillas are the largest gorillas in existence and stand about five and a half feet tall and weight about 400 pounds on average. These gorillas are herbivorous and are known to travel in packs of five, one male and four females. This species of gorillas are extremely endangered and are threatened by poaching and destruction of their habitat.
ReplyDelete-Kenneth Lautner
Block 3
I observed the Bornean and Sumatran Orangutans. They are from the tropical rain forests, in Sumatra and Borneo, and I focused my observations on the year old baby girl Aisha and her mother Induh. They eat mostly fruits and leaves and are endangered. They are endangered because of the creation of palm oil mostly as well as logging, roads, and fire. I saw the baby as she attempted to learn how to swing from the ropes. She mostly used the poles underneath the ropes and held onto them since for some reason she was unable to swing. I saw some use tools too like Karen used one to scratch her head. There was a black ape inside too that was smaller but teases Aisha while she tries to play around and would grab onto the rope she was trying to climb on while the mother watched. Induh has been noted to decrease how overprotective she is as Aisha grows too. Wherever the mother went Aisha followed and just played in whatever area her mom was which was really cool. Then the huge male came in, Satu. He plopped down right in front of the glass and started chewing sticks like he owned the place.
ReplyDeleteI observed the Red-Cheeked Gibbons also known as Nomascus Gabriellae at the zoo. They live in the tropical evergreen forests of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Due to extensive hunting and habitat loss their population has declined greatly of the past years. As a result this species has been given the Endangered Status by the IUCN. The enclosure had two individuals which we were able to differentiate by gender due to their sexual dimophorism. During the first few minutes the individuals were inactive; their only movement was an occasional scratch. But soon the female moved to the front of the cage where it stretched itself between a tree limb and the front fence. Once there it proceeded to lick the bars of the enclosure and gaze at passing patrons. The male soon followed and took a seated position in the tree above the female. The male then traversed the front of the cage along the fence to a tree on the opposite side of the enclosure. Once at the tree the male climbed to the top and sat in the hammock located there. Mean while the female adopted a hammock like position across the gap between the fence and a tree and proceeded to observe us upside down. Soon after the male swung to the back of the cage via a rope and clung to the fence. Then both individuals became very alert and tense perhaps in response to the cries of a neighboring bird. After the bird quieted down a zookeeper entered a separated extension of the cage. Upon the arrival of the zookeeper both individuals returned to the rear of the enclosure and disappeared out of sight. The male was the first to return and he took up a seated position in a tree. The female came out soon after and proceeded to eat, perhaps a piece of fruit, from her hand. After this both individuals went to rest under the heat lamp. At this time a second zookeeper arrived and the gibbons went to the rear of the cage and observed her actions in the extended section of the cage through the fence.
ReplyDeleteOn the field trip to the San Diego Zoo, I observed the Orangutans. Their scientific names include Pongo pygmaeus (Bornean orangutan) and Pongo abelii (Sumatran orangutan). The orangutans can be located in the tropical forests on Sumatra and Borneo. Their diet consists of fruits and leaves. The IUCN status is endangered. Threats include palm oil plantations, logging, roads, and fire. All of these have destroyed the orangutan's habitat. Another threat includes illegal trade. They are being traded for pets and for bush-meat. During the twenty minute time frame, the youngest ape, Aisha, was the most active. Aisha is one and a half years old. Aisha would climb up and down the white poles and ropes provided by the zookeepers. As Aisha was in action, Indah, her mother would keep an eye on her from a distance. However, Indah seemed to be less protected then what I expected to be. Indah moves the rope that is in her way to sit more comfortably. At the same time Aisha hangs from a different rope. A different ape, a siamang, approaches the mother and daughter. Indah is not as protective however lets Aisha to hang on to her. Later, Aisha lets go but stays fairly close to her mother. I realized that they moved together having Aisha following Indah. Towards the end of the twenty minute period, a zookeeper shared interesting facts about the orangutans. The most interesting fact was about Janey. Janey is another female ape however she is the oldest. She is fifty years old and can finger paint. After the zookeeper shared information with me, Satu, one of the males, approached in front of the female apes and started to eat close by the glass barrier. After the twenty minutes, I continued on with my journey at the zoo.
ReplyDelete-Sharai Castor
Block 3
On the zoo field trip I had the opportunity to observe the Gorilla, well thats its common name the scientific name of the gorilla was Gorilla berengei berengei. The IUCN status is endangered because of habitat destruction. They are found in African jungles. There were 4 gorillas that I observed. The first two that I saw were a mother and her child, the mother never let go of the little baby and it just sat in her arms and occasionally crawled around on her. The next one was a small male that was seated and would roll around. The fourth one did not do much while we watched he slept most of the time.
ReplyDelete-Savanna Nager
Block 3
During the class AP Biology field trip at the world-famous San Diego Zoo, I had the luxurious opportunity to observe one of the most dominant, powerful, and gracious animals in the world: The Silverback Gorilla. With approximately 4 gorillas seen from the multiple vantage points surrounding their enclosed habitat, my peers and I were able to see various forms of natural behavior. Quite to my surprise, the gorillas seemed to conduct themselves in a much more calm manner than the other primates like the monkeys or orangutans. The largest silverback (assumed to be the alpha male) spent much of his time rolling around on the ground, both resting and simultaneously entertaining a medium size group of visitors who observed from afar. This organism was accompanied by a smaller gorilla who I determined, through logical reasoning and observation, to be his child, cuddling up against the largest gorilla and climbing upon his large abdomen in a playful fashion. The other two, medium sized gorillas seemed to spend most of their time lazily pacing along the viewing point where the majority of zoo-goers had been located.
ReplyDeleteThrough extended research I was able to learn some quite interesting facts about this species, the Gorilla beringei (scientific name). According to iucnredlist,org this species is considered to be "endangered". These primates are native to central and western Africa.
Observing these animals was a fascinating experience and reinforced my appreciation for the worlds many types of unique organisms.
On May 28th 2015, I was fortunate enough to go with my AP Biology class to the amazing San Diego Zoo. Once there, I decided to observe the Black Mangabey monkeys. Scientifically known as the Lophocebus aterrimus, these monkeys are known to be found around Angola and in damp forests in the central Congo Basin. Unfortunately, these majestic creatures are in danger because humans are constantly hunting them for their meat, putting this primate in peril. Logging also damages its habitat as well. As a result, its IUCN status for these monkeys is endangered. At the enclosure, I was fortunate enough to see two mangabey monkeys. Overlooking their cool and fashionable hairstyles, they were very calm animals. I was fascinated to see how precise and effortless their balance was, as one Mangabey monkey was climbing up and down a tree and across the ropes and metal structures with ease. Therefore, it was cool to see how its tail and toes were curled around the ropes/metal beams so that it would assist them in having excellent balance. Also, I watched for about 10 minutes the black mangabey monkeys looking for fleas(assumed) on one another and how they systematically alternated who was looking for fleas and who was chilling. Despite the excessive grooming that occurred, the monkeys seemed pretty relaxed and calm, as one was maneuvering around the enclosure looking for food and the other was just sitting motionless on a rope. In the end, I also noticed how the monkeys remained pretty close to one another the whole time. After a while, I reluctantly left the exhibit and continued exploring the zoo.
ReplyDeleteI observed the Sumatran and Bornean Orangutans that live in their respective tropical forests. They eat fruits and leaves from those trees. Their main threats are from logging, creation of roads, fires, clearing for creation of Palm Oil Plantations, and illegal trade as pets or for bushmeat. Because of these, the orangutans are considered endangered species. With the ones I watched, the mother follewed her baby around and supervised it as it played on the poles and ropes. The babies were left to learn how to climb on their own for the most part. In some cases, the mother would act as a barrier between her baby and the other animals in the enclosure because there was another species of ape in the enclosure as well. The male slept in a hidden area for most of the time before coming out and sitting in the middle eating sticks. The Orangutans seem to live in packs of many females led by one male. The males and females also seemed to ignore each other, so I think they live like that unless it is mating season.
ReplyDeleteAt the San Diego Zoo I chose to observe the Orangutans for 20 minutes. I saw that the baby Orangutan was very active and stayed close to her mother. Whenever the mother would move to a different area of the ropes, the baby would make sure to stay close and follow. Once the mother had settled into this new area, the baby would climb farther and farther from the mom, becoming daring as she slid down more poles and swung from the ropes. When the mom was going to move across a place that was too dangerous for the baby to cross alone, like from one pole to another across a rope, the mother would scoop up her baby, or the baby would grab on to the mom, and cross the risky area as the baby clung onto her mother for safety. As I was watching the baby explore what she could do on the ropes, I noticed the baby had a much easier time sliding down the poles, than climbing up them. It seems as though the baby does not have that much strength in her arms yet to carry her weight easily. While trying to make herself comfortable in the new spot she moved to, the baby Orangutan's mom moved a rope that was hanging close to her head so that it wrapped around the pole and became more taut so that the rope was farther away from the mother's head so that she may sit more comfortably. At one point, the baby Orangutan had found brightly colored circles on a section of the pole she was climbing, and started smacking the objects playfully as if they were buttons. When I turned my attention to an older male Orangutan I noticed how he was walking on what looked to be the back of his hands or his wrists. As he was walking to sit in the shade next to the glass, he dragged a branch with leaves to eat in his left back foot and a blanket in the back right foot.
ReplyDeleteI also nearly forgot to mention how the common names for these primates are Bornean or Sumatran Orangutan. The Sumatran Orangutan (pongo abelii) are critically endangered and are found in Sumatra, Indonesia. The Bornean Orangutan (P. p. pygmaeus) are less rare, considered endangered, and live in the forests of Borneo. Orangutans eat figs and fruit.
ReplyDeleteOn the field trip to the zoo, I observed the Schmidt's Red-tailed Monkey, also known as the Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti. This monkey is found in the forests of central Africa and they are stable. Something interesting about this animal is that the female's status is dependent on the status of her mother and the males leave the group when they reach maturity. When watching them for twenty minutes, they just hanged out and were chill until the Mandrill, another monkey in the same cage, got close and the Red-tailed Monkey would jump to higher branches. They are really swift and use their tail to balance going across branches. They are able to go on the smallest branches because they are smaller and they use this as an advantage.
ReplyDeleteAt the beautiful San Diego Zoo I observed the Wolf's Monkey also called Wolf's mona monkey with the scientific name of Cercopithecus wolfi wolfi. This monkey is located in the rain forest canopies of Central Africa. It is a colorful Old World monkey in the Cercopithecidae family. It is found in central Africa, primarily between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. It lives in primary and secondary lowland rainforest and swamp forest. There diet is mostly fruits, seeds, and leaves. The diet of Wolf's monkey differs depending on location. The birth season for Wolf's monkey is from June through December due to rainfall and resource availability. This Wolf's Monkey IUCN status is stable. Both males and females behave aggressively in intergroup encounters. They are very territorial, using calling and aggression, if needed. Females play an important role in territory defense; when they call it prompts the male to call as well. When I watched these monkeys they weren't really acting aggressive, but they were just on the trees and hanging out. It was a great experience and I'm happy that I went and I learned so much about all the great animals!
ReplyDeleteOn our trip to the San Diego Zoo, I chose to observe the bonobos, or the bon-oboes as I like to call them, or the Pan paniscus as they are known scientifically. They are found in the rain forest of equatorial Africa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are classified as endangered under the IUCN Red List. They are threatened by habitat destruction, and the hunting for bushmeat. At the zoo, I tried my best to observe the bonobos, but all I could ever see is their behinds mocking me as they walked away from which ever vantage point I decided to chose. I could not really observe much, but from what I did see is that they are really timid creature that are very shy. They seem to enjoy to lounge around, and just not worry about anything. An interesting fact about the bonobo is that they are one of the two species that make up the genus Pan, the other being the common chimpanzee. Bonobos used to also be known as pygmy chimpanzee, or the dwarf or gracile chimpanzee.
ReplyDeleteBon-Oboes? Is this in reference to me?????
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAt the San Diego Zoo I observed the Gorilla beringei beringi Sliver-back Gorilla.These Gorillas are highly endangered with only 700 living in the jungles of Africa. These are the largest Gorilla ever with the largest weighing about 400 pounds and can stand at about five and a half feet tall. When observing the alpha male at the zoo I found out that he likes to sleep a lot and while asleep he is surrounded by at most 4 other gorillas and most are females. I also that the way he sleeps is almost identical as a regular human.
ReplyDelete-Nicholas Salazar
Block 3
On our trip to the zoo, Haley and I were walking around and saw some monkeys so we decided to stop and take a break to observe them. We observed the Allen's Swamp Monkey, which is its common name. Its scientific name is Allenopithecus nigroviridis. This species is fortunately stable. They live in the swamp forests of the Congo Basin in Africa. They like a lot of overhanging vegetation or a swamp or river. They forage for fruit and small invertebrates on the ground or in shallow water. These monkeys were mostly active and loved jumping from branch to branch. It had no problem going near the water. There was also otters in the same habitat and they did not seem to mind each other. There was minimal interaction between the two organisms but they did not bother each other. They were very active and acted singularly. They did not interact with each other a lot. At the end of our time observing the monkeys, they ended up resting under the shade of a bush near the water.
ReplyDeleteAt the zoo, I observed the Allen's Swamp Monkeys. They are found in swamp forests of the Congo Basin. Vegetation overhanging a swamp or river is a typical resting spot for these monkeys. Allen's Swamp Monkeys forage for fruit and small invertebrate on the ground and in shallow water. There were two monkeys in this exhibit. They both spent a large amount of time on the branches near the water. One of the monkeys sat in a shaded area on some rocks and looked like a "watch dog" for about half of the observation time. The other monkey went back and forth between shaded areas and bushes, using the branches near the water as it's pathways. During the last five minutes, both of the monkeys curled up in bushes and went to sleep.
ReplyDeleteDuring the field trip to the San Diego I observed the western gorilla also known as the Gorilla gorilla. These gorillas are endangered bit are more common than their relatives. They live in heavy rainforests and are located in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. A dominant male silverback heads the group, with younger males leaving the group when they are ready to lead their own group.The western gorillas can live up to 40 years. These gorllias live in groups consisting of a male, several females and their offspring. The ICUN status for the Gorilla gorilla is critically endangered and its population trend is decreasing. The gorilla I observed was very protective of its offspring. Another thing I noticed was that when the gorilla is sitting down it holds its baby the same way humans do.
ReplyDeleteAt the zoo, I observed the Red-Cheeked Gibbon, also known as the Nomascus Gabrellae. Despite their name, both males and females actually have white fur on their cheeks. It inhabits the tropical evergreen forests of southern Asia, where it can eat leaves, fruits, and insects. Sadly, the Gibbons are currently rated as endangered. While I was fortunate to observe the rare primate, I noticed several things. The male and female were often moving. They climbed to each corner of the enclosure in the time I observed them. The male seemed to do this more than the female. In addition, both, in equal measure, groomed themselves by looking through their own and their counterparts fur. While I observed the primates, I was also fortunate enough to see them being feed. As soon as the handler entered the feeding room, both Gibbons moved to the rear of the enclosure where the food was located. They remained their for the rest of the observation, nibbling on food pellets.
ReplyDeleteDuring our field trip to the San Diego Zoo, I had the opportunity to observe the Tufted Capuchin, also known as Cebus Apella. The Tufted Capuchin is only located in the northern upper part South America and can be found in many different environments such as tropical forests, subtropical forests, dry forests, and even disturbed/ secondary forests. Although these monkey have a stable population and do not face endangerment anytime soon, they are currently hunted for food and to keep as pets which overtime can be the result for their decrease in numbers. During my observation, there were many things that caught my eye such as how many of the monkeys had deep scars and even one had its tail cut off. My friend and I theorized that some were either rescued or maybe they had conflict with deciding the alpha monkey since this species of monkeys live in large groups of 10 to 20 monkey, usually the oldest being alpha. Also I found that these monkeys are really sociable and were more active than some of the other species. For a while there were a large number of monkeys in a circle, picking each others’ bugs and grooming each other. What was really interesting was that one monkey acquired a piece of fruit or food and as it began to cross over to the other side of their habitat, it carried the piece of food in their mouth and once it was finished crossing it took it out and began to eat it in a slow and careful manner. There were a few monkeys that peacefully slept on a hammock while holding each other in a warm manner.
ReplyDeleteOn our AP Biology field trip to the world famous San Diego Zoo, students were required to observe a primate and write about basic information about its characteristics, it's habitat, amongst other informational aspects of the primate. I chose to observe the Angolan Colobus monkey or Colobus Angolensis, its scientific name. These interesting fellows are found throughout eastern Nigeria, Cameroon, eastern Gabon, northern Congo, the Central African Republic, notherneastern Zaire, Uganda, Ruanda, Ethiopia, Kenya, and northern Tanzania. The habitat that these monkeys live in is can differe greatly some live in tropical areas as the habitats include swamps and savannas, galleries, mountains, lowland, and bamboo forests. Angolan Colobus monkeys in the IUCN list are considered least concern, as they can be fairly abundant in parts of their range. Although they are stable, these animals are still vulnerable to the destruction of their habitat through deforestation, as well as the hunting of their meet through the bushmeat trade, causing their numbers to start to drop such as in the Kakamega forest in Kenya. These monkeys were quite interesting to observe as they were very active in playful at the time I observed them. While looking at the Angolan Colobus monkey I saw that these monkeys loved to play fight, as one of them pulled the tail of the other and they began chasing each other. They also seemed to be close to one another with the exception of one monkey who was solitary throughout my observation which could mean that he was a lower ranking monkey. There was one baby Angolan Colobus monkey who tried to follow the actions of the older monkeys, but was quickly stopped by his mother that would hold on to him so he would not fall out of the area or hurt itself. These monkeys were great jumpers as they easily jumped from tree to tree without any hesitation. They also enjoyed grooming one another and would pick on one monkey in groups to look for ticks and even give it a quick message. Their appearance was quite peculiar as well as they had long gray hair in their sideburns, while the baby monkey did not have this hair yet. In conclusion these monkeys were a unique primate all on its own, its unique appearance and super active personality made them enjoyable to watch as these monkeys surprised me every minute.
ReplyDeleteDuring the AP Biology Zoo trip, I chose to observe the Black Mangabey. Their scientific name is Lophocebus Aterrimus and they are considered endangered. I chose this species of monkey because of their quiet and peaceful nature when I initially viewed them. For the first 10 minutes of my observation, the two monkeys in the enclosure remained separate. One was grooming himself, and looked as if he had a skin condition that resulted in thin, patchy hair. The other sat on the opposite end of the enclosure, eating what appeared to be a branch. They remained like this until the end of the first ten minutes, when the eating monkey decided to effortlessly descend the tree using the system of ropes and pipes. As he moved closer, the grooming monkey let out what I initially assumed to be a territorial screech. This is an odd occurrence though as he was lying on his back and stretching like a small child. Instead, he looked like he wanted to play. After a few seconds of staring, the monkey descended to gather more food. Once he had returned with more food, a few minutes went by before the grooming monkey traveled over to the location of the eating monkey. The eating monkey began grooming the other monkey. The monkey being groomed stood erect, then relaxed after a few minutes of surveying the area, most likely for predators. This continued until the end of the 20 minute required viewing period. These monkeys taught me a lot about primate behavior, and were fairly interesting to observe.
ReplyDeleteAngolan Colobus Monkey
ReplyDeleteScientific name: Colobus angolensis
Rank: Species
Higher classification: Black-and-white colobus
IUCN Status: Least Threatened
Commonly found in rain forests near the Congo and in East Africa, the colobus monkey prefers dense rainforest regions.
The Colobus Monkey is the only known primate to not have thumbs.
Observations of Angolan Colobus Monkey
- baby is all white, rest are black and white
- baby has less hair than rest of monkeys
- running around cage
- baby practices jumping from ground to low hanging branches (1ft)
- very active
- chase eachother around cage
- jump from hanging vines/rope
- very fast
- sit in trees to excrete bodily waste
- cleaning eachother
- climb walls of cage
- baby stays close to mother
- other monkeys look after baby
- monkey approaches baby and cleans it
- monkey is sleeping in tree
- monkeys continue chasing eachother
- handler opens door, all monkeys stop moving
- eat leaves off of trees
- monkey pulls others tail
- monkey chases other monkey
- group fight
- itches tail
- chases one up the fence
When we visited the zoo, I took the time to observe the GORILLAS! The name for these primates are Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla, it seemed as if though the primate recently gave birth to a young because it came to sit by the window while it was holding a young child that was sleeping at the time. It was funny because they hold their babies the same way that humans do when rocking the baby to sleep. The other female gorilla was laying down about ten feet away, looking at the mother with a face of joy and excitement as if though it were happy to welcome a new life into their family. Now, the big male was up on a ridge laying down just sunbathing and napping as if though it were very tired. He rolled around of couple of times and looked up at us, but then he just put his head back down and continued with his lazy activities of just laying there, doing nothing, just a big 'ol ball of fur in one spot. But when I got a good look at the faces of the primates, they had very similar features and it really stunned me how closely similar we are to the Gorilla, Orangutan, and Chimpanzee. They are critically endangered and their population trend is has been decreasing for a couple of years now.
ReplyDeleteIn our time at the zoo trip, we had planned to observe the Wolf's Monkey, but we realized early on that in the monkey's enclosure there was two other primates: the red-tailed monkeys and mandrills. Overall, we observed how these three species interacted with not only their own groups but with each other. While each group would preferably stick to themselves with the monkeys in the trees at opposite sides within their group and the mandrills dominating the bottom. However, when the wolf's monkey began to interact with the mandrill by stealing something from it, the mandrill angrily retaliated by attempting to threaten the monkey. It was an interesting twenty minutes.
ReplyDeleteMissing Zoo Reflections from:
ReplyDelete2nd block: Valerie, Sheridan, Katelynn, Kaila, Sarah, Celeste, Vanessa, Matt
3rd block: Chris, Brandon, Kyle, Brianna, Eros, Georgette, Tyler, Natalia
You have until midnight tonight!! Get these done ASAP!!!! The blogs have time stamps :-)
During my trip to the zoo, I went looking for the Bonobo (Pan Paniscus). When I found them, the Pan Paniscus were hiding behind a rock which was very difficult to even observe them. I went to the other side to get a closer look, but by the time I got there, they had disappered again. They are usually found in the Congo area, but their IUCN status is said to be Endangered. Oh, they are also very close to humans because there is only one amino acid difference.
ReplyDeleteYay! :)
At the zoo I observed the Mandrillus Sphinx, or Mandrill, for twenty minutes. These primates are found in moist evergreen rainforest in central west Africa. It is not exactly known how many of this species there are left, but their size has undoubtedly declined in the past few years. They’re mostly affected by the destruction of evergreen forest habitat because this reduces the environments that can support the Mandrills. The Mandrill was interesting to watch for twenty minutes, and I found that after awhile the primate began to repeat her actions in a pattern. She was mainly seen scratching himself. This included all parts of her body, especially her legs. She also played with her body, as she tried sitting in different positions such as pulling her leg behind her head. The Mandrill then began to run in circles in her enclosure. After that, she pooped. The mandrill took her feces in her own hands and smeared it on a rock. She then picked at the poop and ate something that she was picking out of it. This same pattern went on for the entire twenty minutes, with a few additions. At times the Mandrill would also pull on branches, swing on the ropes in the enclosure, or spin and jump in place.
ReplyDeleteDuring my trip to the zoo, I had the opportunity to observe a primate called the Tufted Capuchin monkey, also scientifically known as the Sapajus Robustus, for an extended period of about 25 minutes. Interestingly enough, the Tufted Capuchin is one of the most widespread primates in the Neotropics, but it has also recently been noted that they are commonly found in the Amazon Basin, and nearby regions. During this observation, I noticed that the monkeys were doing aerial activities such as somersaulting across the length of their enclosures back and forth. Additionally, they were actively seen climbing across the ropes among the trees and hanging from the high fenced parts of the enclosure. Furthermore, they always had their tails slightly curled and when they walked around, it was on all four limbs. The Tufted Capuchin is an omnivorous animal, feeding mostly on fruits and invertebrates, although it sometimes feeds on plants and other small vertebrates (i.e. lizards, bird chicks). The species is listed as endangered due to severe and ongoing population decline inferred from habitat loss due to deforestation for the conversion into agriculture and further exploitation of natural resources.
ReplyDelete-Sheridan Butterfield, Block 2
On our trip to the San Diego Zoo, I had the opportunity to observe the Black Crested Mangabey monkeys.They are scientifically known as the Lophocebus aterrimus. Mangabeys are some of the most rare and endangered monkeys on Earth.These large forest dwellers are found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, south of the Congo River, and in Angola.The female black crested Mangabey is typically smaller and more slender than the male, and the fur of the juvenile is usually darker than that of the adults.Their diet consists primarily of fruit and seeds, although they may also feed on some flowers, leaves, nectar and bark. Mangabeys also have large food pouches in the cheeks, used to store food. I had noticed that these monkeys were very clam and was fascinated by their balance as they moved along the ropes and up the trees. All Mangabeys have a tail that is longer than their body, providing balance for them as they climb on the trees. Many of them were very close to each other and they tend to return to the same places to feed and nest. I got to learn so much on primate behavior and I am grateful I got to be part of this experience.
ReplyDeleteOn our trip to the San Diego Zoo my lab group and I observed a primate known as the Tufted Capuchin monkey. This primate had a short thick tail and had brownish gray fur. The Tufted Capuchin is slightly more powerful than other capuchins. We observed the monkey for about 20-30 minutes and in that short span we observed many different actions and encounters between the monkeys. We learned that the Tufted Capuchin's common region that it inhabits is the Amazon basin. This monkey is a New World primate and is an omnivorous animal that feeds on fruits as well as invertebrates. While observing the monkeys we noticed them climbing about and doing somersaults. I also saw them cracking nuts with their hands and using a log. I learned that Tufted Capuchins surprisingly are fearful of birds and even rubs urine on its hands and feet to reduce stress. The Tufted Capuchin is classified as endangered which was caused by habitat loss and population decline.
ReplyDelete-Valerie Baka. Block 2
My field trip to the zoo was really fun! I roamed the zoo with Sheridan, Valerie, and Sarah, and one of the primates that we observed was the Tufted Capuchin monkey. This monkey is located within the Amazon region of the zoo. It is a New World Primate. We observed this for about 20 minutes. Characteristics of this primate include a short, tail with brown-grey fur. The Tufted Capuchin is found in the Amazon region of the zoo, and it is a New World primate. This primate is endangered due to habitat loss and population decline. While observing these monkeys we witnessed one summersault across its cage, while others swung and climbed from the branches. When we first arrived at the cage we thought one monkey was waving to us, but he was really just scratching its armpit. These primates are omnivorous; they feed on fruits and invertebrates. We saw one monkey trying to crack a nut with its hands, also using the branches as support. One thing I found interesting was that these primates fear birds!
ReplyDelete-Celeste Garmo Block 2
Going to the San Diego Zoo with my AP bio classmates was a very fun experience. Prior to the field trip, I had already planned on observing the silver back gorillas. Looking at the Eastern Gorillas (Gorilla beringei), I noticed that they are very calm and relaxed. It was surprising because I expected them to be more wild and aggressive. The gorillas spent most of their time rolling around their habitat and lying on their backs. It was fun to watch them circle around the area on their backs and approach the viewing window. These gorillas are endangered and live mostly in lowland tropical rain-forests. A major cause for their endangerment is because of poachers. Humans have been invading their habitats and threatening their lives. I would have liked to see the gorillas be much more active and exciting.
ReplyDelete*I understand that this post has a time stamp and I'm posting this at 12:38am when you said to post it by midnight, but I figured I should still make the attempt. :)*
Our field trip to the zoo was really fun and informative. I found that observing the primates was very interesting, and I am actually intrigued to learn more about them. As me Kelsey and Ivanna roamed around the zoon while filming our final project we stumbled upon the Angolan Colobus Monkey. They had long tails and were mostly black, but had some white and grey mixed in. They also had long white beards that hung around their face, and it seemed that the older they were the longer their beards were. The babies were a grey color that reflected in the sun, so the parents could watch them just like the Golden Monkeys. They moved almost the whole time! They fought each other while pulling on their beards and biting each other. They are very big jumpers, when we watched them fight they would chase each other and hop around the sides of the cage very fast. They would also groom each other, using their hands they would spread the hair and use their mouths to lick and eat the bug and whatever else was in their fur. It seemed that one of the elders was also sun bathing in the tree and watching all the young ones fighting. He moved once to find some leaves and eat them in the tree. Overall they were very active and energetic monkeys. I found that their habits were very similar to how we act when we’re young which I found interesting.
ReplyDeleteDuring our trip to the San Diego Zoo, I studied the Red-Cheeked Gibbon, known scientifically as Nomascus gabriellae. They live in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and are listed by the IUCN as Endangered. My group investigated this organism for 20 minutes and noticed a variety of behaviors. For the first couple of minutes the gibbons, of which there were two, one female and one male, remained idle. After about 5 minutes, with just casual acknowledgement of our presence, the gibbons began to move about, with the female approaching the front before stretching her arms and laying like a hammock, the male following shortly after. They tended to move around for the next 7 minutes with the male moving to the far side of the cage and laying in an artificial hammock. With about 8 minutes left a zoo keeper arrived and the gibbons retreated to eat for 3 minutes, before basking in the sun for the remaining 5.
ReplyDeleteSorry it was late