Primates Zoo Activity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Primates Zoo Activity - Essay Example This essay "Primates Zoo Activity" talks about the of three types of primates: the white-handed gibbon, lemur, and Bolivian gray titi monkey to analyze their the physical characteristics and types of behaviors, as well as the frequency of behaviors in a zoo environment. Lemurs are believed to have evolved from the anthropoid primates, but studies have evidenced otherwise and that they only share the behavioral as well as morphological traits with the basal primates. The ring-tailed lemurs are known for their nocturnal habits and slow pace. Lemurs have low metabolic rates and show dormancy. At the zoo, each lemur weighed between 2 to 4 kilograms. This light-weight makes them arboreal quadrupedal walkers, but it runs quadrupedally on the ground. They show marked sexual dimorphism. At the zoo, the family group comprised of one large male, 3 females and 4 offsprings. They are gentle and we joked about its huge eyes. White-handed gibbons are diurnal, natural aerial acrobats and are fairly awkward on the ground. They have long fingers and limbs, special thumbs and strong arms are specialized to the arboreal life in their forest home. Stewart and Harcourt shared the view that as the white-handed gibbons swing from limb to limb, they usually hook their fingers lightly over the branches. Their intelligence in locomotion makes them quick and efficient when moving from feeding to escaping from predators. About its morphology, I recorded that the white-handed gibbon lacks a tail and has a throat sac located beneath the chin.