Primate Observation: Lowry Park Zoo

The primate observation that I chose to observe are Orangutan, Squirrel Monkey, and Lemur. This observation took place in the Lowry Park Zoo on October 18th. I went to the Lowry Park Zoo around 2 pm until 5 pm. The purpose of this observation is through primate’s anatomy, locomotion, and behavior to getting know them better, and how they are differences and similarities compare to human beings. When I got there, the Zoo was already very crowd. There were lots of people in the zoo; I think probably was on Sunday. I am afraid that I don’t have enough time to observation all three of primate species, so I straight went to the sites. I noticed that the habitats of these primates are very similar. They all live in very large and sparse environments

This New World Monkey ranges from about 25-35 cm and a tail about 35-42 cm. These monkeys had light hair on their faces, brown hair on their bodies and large black eyes. The Male was slightly larger than the female, sexual dimorphism, and was the only one in the exhibit. I found this interesting because the Squirrel Monkeys “live together in multi-male/multi-female groups…” (Wikipedia) Tiny in size, these monkeys really enjoyed running around their exhibit and attracted quite a large audience. Their tails, though not prehensile, are used primarily “as a kind of ‘balancing pole’ and also as a tool.” (Wikipedia) Meaning that they are able to move with agility and speed while maintaining their balance on small and large branches. I feel they attracted so many people because they were able to jump through the branches and use the ropes that are in their exhibit to help brachiate, using arms to swing from branch to branch, through the air and catch other branches to continue moving. This is a type of intelligence that I feel the Squirrel Monkey demonstrates. The squirrel monkeys, along with all primates, have what is called binocular stereoscopic vision. This provides depth perception which is very important in a three dimensional world and for moving quickly and safely through it. This ability to process information quickly shows that the Squirrel Monkey is not just a fun-loving

The ring-tailed lemur has long, black and white ringed tail and the lack of a large brain. It is endemic to the island of Madagascar. The ring-tailed lemur is highly social and female dominant. Its average weight is 4.9lb and its head to body length ranges between 39 and 46cm (Wikipedia). Its tail is longer than its body and is not prehensile. It is only used for balance, communication, and group cohesion. The skin of the ring-tailed lemur is dark gray or black in color, even in places where the fur is white. Although slight pattern variations in the facial region may be seen between individuals, there are no obvious differences between the sexes. Its fingers are slender, padded, mostly lacking webbing, and semi-dexterous with flat, human-like nails. The thumb is both short and widely separated from the other fingers. Females socially dominate males in all circumstances, including feeding priority. Dominance is enforced by lunging, chasing, cuffing, grabbing and biting. Young females do not always inherit their mother's rank and young males leave the troop between three and five years of age. Both sexes have separate dominance hierarchies; females have a distinct hierarchy while male rank is correlated with