Lincoln Park Zoo R

While you are at the zoo, follow steps “a” through “d” for each of the three parts. After your visit to the zoo, use the questions in step “e” as a guide as you write your paper. Don’t forget that your paper needs an introduction and a conclusion! Tips & Tricks: • The primates are usually very active early in the morning, especially the smaller ones. • Some primates are easier to observe than others – choosing your primates carefully will make it easier to conduct your observations and write your paper. o Do not try to observe the Moholi bush babies or the slow loris! Their enclosures are way too dark to observe anything well. o The Howler monkeys spend a lot of time sleeping. • Your hypotheses are not limited to the behaviors on the observation sheets – you can add your own behaviors in the “Other” columns but they should be behaviors you can reasonably expect to see in your observation period. • Ask docents any questions you might have- they love to talk about the animals and they are amazing resources. Part 1: Locomotion in different primate species For this section, you will conduct focal observations of individuals in three species: one strepsirhine, one New World or Old World Monkey, and one ape (gibbon or chimpanzee but NOT the gorillas). The individuals you choose for focal observations must be awake. Strepsirrhine species:__________________________________ NWM/OWM species:_________________________________ Ape species (not gorillas):_________________________________________ 1a. First, spend at least 2 minutes observing each of the primate species you have chosen. 1b. Based on your observations and knowledge of primates, make a hypothesis about a behavior relating to locomotion that you will observe in these species. For example, “I predict that the individual from [Species 1] will spend more time _______ than the individuals from [Species 2 and Species 3].” Record your hypothesis here: __________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 6 Why do you think that behavior will be different among these species? Briefly explain your reasoning. Record your reasoning here: __________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 1c. Collect focal observations of one individual for each species using the attached observation sheets. The individuals you choose for focal observations must be awake. 1d. Make notes about each of the species you observe. Things that you may want to note: • Where does the species typically live in the wild? • What does it eat? • What kind of residence pattern or social group structure does it have? • Does the species have a tail? If so, what does it look like? What do the hands and feet look like? • Are there differences in how the species use their tails, hands, or feet? 1e. In this section of your paper, you should use your hypothesis, reasoning, and observations to address the following points: • Provide some background information about the species observed. • What was your hypothesis? What reasoning do you have to support your prediction? • Was your hypothesis supported? o If so, what evidence (behaviors you observed) supports your hypothesis? Be specific! Use numbers to support your statements. For example, “The WhiteCheeked Gibbon never touched the ground during the observation period.” o If your hypothesis was not supported, why do you think it was not supported? • How did the different forms of locomotion that you observed relate to the physical features of the species (e.g. tails, feet, hands)? • How do the different locomotion behaviors fit into what you know about these species’ niches (roles in their ecosystem)? • What would you do differently if you were a researcher genuinely interested in studying locomotion in different primate species? Part 2: Behavior in different individuals of the same species For this section, you will conduct focal observations of two individuals of the same species. You may not use gorillas or a species that you observed in Part 1. You may choose a strepsirrhine, Old World Monkey, New World Monkey, or ape species that has individuals that you can tell are different (e.g. male vs. female, juvenile vs. adult). Species: ______________________________________ Individual A: __________________________________ Individual B: __________________________________ 2a. First, spend at least 2 minutes observing the individuals you have chosen. 2b. Based on your observations and knowledge of primates, make a hypothesis about a behavior that you will observe in these different individuals. For example, “I predict that the Individual A will spend more time _______ than Individual B.” Record your hypothesis here: __________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Why do you think that behavior will be different between your two focal individuals? Briefly explain your reasoning. Record your reasoning here: __________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 2c. Collect focal observations of the two individuals that you have selected using the attached observation sheets. The individuals you choose for focal observations must be awake. 2d. Make notes about the species you observe. Things that you may want to note: • Where does the species typically live in the wild? • What does it eat? • What kind of residence pattern or social group structure does it have? • What are the noticeable differences between your two focal individuals? If you are comparing male and female individuals, is the species sexually dimorphic? If you are comparing a juvenile and an adult, how do you know it’s a juvenile? • Did they exhibit any behaviors that surprised you? 8 • Did these individuals spend a lot of time close to each other or interacting with other group members, or were they mostly away from others? 2e. In this section of your paper, you should use your hypothesis, reasoning, and observations to address the following points: • Provide some background information about the species observed. • What was your hypothesis? What reasoning do you have to support your prediction? • Was your hypothesis supported? o If so, what evidence (behaviors you observed) supports your hypothesis? Be specific! Use numbers to support your statements. For example, “I observed the male to groom others twice, but the female groomed others five times during the observation period.” o If your hypothesis was not supported, why do you think it was not supported? • Were there any other notable differences in behaviors among these individuals? • Were there other factors that might have affected the behavior of the primates during your observations (for example, did a keeper come in to feed them)? If so, discuss them. • What would you do differently if you were a researcher genuinely interested in studying how behavior is different among individuals within the same species? Part 3: Behavior in different kinds of social groups For this section, you will conduct observations of two groups of gorillas. Lincoln Park Zoo has two social groups of gorillas: a bachelor group and a family group. Most zoos only have one social group and LPZ provides a unique opportunity for you to observe how social behaviors in different types of social groups within the same species. 3a. First, spend at least 2 minutes observing the bachelor group and the family group. 3b. Based on your observations and knowledge of primates, make a hypothesis about a behavior that you expect to observe in these different social groups. For example, “I predict that the family group will _______ less than the bachelor group.” Record your hypothesis here: __________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Why do you think that behavior will be different between the two groups of gorillas? Briefly explain your reasoning. Record your reasoning here: __________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 9 _________________________________________________________________________ 3c. Collect group observations of the two groups of gorillas using the attached observation sheets. 3d. Make notes about the groups that you observed. Things that you may want to note: • Where does the species typically live in the wild? • What does this species usually eat? • Does one group tend to stay in closer proximity to each other than the other? • Do these groups differ in terms of how active they are, or where they spend their time (e.g. on the ground, in the climbing structures) 2e. In this section of your paper, you should use your hypothesis, reasoning, and observations to address the following points: • Provide some background information about the species observed. • What was your hypothesis? What reasoning do you have to support your prediction? • Was your hypothesis supported? o If so, what evidence (behaviors you observed) supports your hypothesis? Be specific! Use numbers to support your statements. o If your hypothesis was not supported, why do you think it was not supported? • Were there any other notable differences in behaviors among these groups? • Based on what you know about these social groups, were you surprised by anything you saw during your observations? • What would you do differently if you were a researcher genuinely interested in studying how behavior is different among bachelor and family groups in gorillas?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         While you are at the zoo, follow steps “a” through “d” for each of the three parts. After your visit to the zoo, use the questions in step “e” as a guide as you write your paper. Don’t forget that your paper needs an introduction and a conclusion! Tips & Tricks: • The primates are usually very active early in the morning, especially the smaller ones. • Some primates are easier to observe than others – choosing your primates carefully will make it easier to conduct your observations and write your paper. o Do not try to observe the Moholi bush babies or the slow loris! Their enclosures are way too dark to observe anything well. o The Howler monkeys spend a lot of time sleeping. • Your hypotheses are not limited to the behaviors on the observation sheets – you can add your own behaviors in the “Other” columns but they should be behaviors you can reasonably expect to see in your observation period. • Ask docents any questions you might have- they love to talk about the animals and they are amazing resources. Part 1: Locomotion in different primate species For this section, you will conduct focal observations of individuals in three species: one strepsirhine, one New World or Old World Monkey, and one ape (gibbon or chimpanzee but NOT the gorillas). The individuals you choose for focal observations must be awake. Strepsirrhine species:__________________________________ NWM/OWM species:_________________________________ Ape species (not gorillas):_________________________________________ 1a. First, spend at least 2 minutes observing each of the primate species you have chosen. 1b. Based on your observations and knowledge of primates, make a hypothesis about a behavior relating to locomotion that you will observe in these species. For example, “I predict that the individual from [Species 1] will spend more time _______ than the individuals from [Species 2 and Species 3].” Record your hypothesis here: __________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 6 Why do you think that behavior will be different among these species? Briefly explain your reasoning. Record your reasoning here: __________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 1c. Collect focal observations of one individual for each species using the attached observation sheets. The individuals you choose for focal observations must be awake. 1d. Make notes about each of the species you observe. Things that you may want to note: • Where does the species typically live in the wild? • What does it eat? • What kind of residence pattern or social group structure does it have? • Does the species have a tail? If so, what does it look like? What do the hands and feet look like? • Are there differences in how the species use their tails, hands, or feet? 1e. In this section of your paper, you should use your hypothesis, reasoning, and observations to address the following points: • Provide some background information about the species observed. • What was your hypothesis? What reasoning do you have to support your prediction? • Was your hypothesis supported? o If so, what evidence (behaviors you observed) supports your hypothesis? Be specific! Use numbers to support your statements. For example, “The WhiteCheeked Gibbon never touched the ground during the observation period.” o If your hypothesis was not supported, why do you think it was not supported? • How did the different forms of locomotion that you observed relate to the physical features of the species (e.g. tails, feet, hands)? • How do the different locomotion behaviors fit into what you know about these species’ niches (roles in their ecosystem)? • What would you do differently if you were a researcher genuinely interested in studying locomotion in different primate species? Part 2: Behavior in different individuals of the same species For this section, you will conduct focal observations of two individuals of the same species. You may not use gorillas or a species that you observed in Part 1. You may choose a strepsirrhine, Old World Monkey, New World Monkey, or ape species that has individuals that you can tell are different (e.g. male vs. female, juvenile vs. adult). Species: ______________________________________ Individual A: __________________________________ Individual B: __________________________________ 2a. First, spend at least 2 minutes observing the individuals you have chosen. 2b. Based on your observations and knowledge of primates, make a hypothesis about a behavior that you will observe in these different individuals. For example, “I predict that the Individual A will spend more time _______ than Individual B.” Record your hypothesis here: __________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Why do you think that behavior will be different between your two focal individuals? Briefly explain your reasoning. Record your reasoning here: __________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 2c. Collect focal observations of the two individuals that you have selected using the attached observation sheets. The individuals you choose for focal observations must be awake. 2d. Make notes about the species you observe. Things that you may want to note: • Where does the species typically live in the wild? • What does it eat? • What kind of residence pattern or social group structure does it have? • What are the noticeable differences between your two focal individuals? If you are comparing male and female individuals, is the species sexually dimorphic? If you are comparing a juvenile and an adult, how do you know it’s a juvenile? • Did they exhibit any behaviors that surprised you? 8 • Did these individuals spend a lot of time close to each other or interacting with other group members, or were they mostly away from others? 2e. In this section of your paper, you should use your hypothesis, reasoning, and observations to address the following points: • Provide some background information about the species observed. • What was your hypothesis? What reasoning do you have to support your prediction? • Was your hypothesis supported? o If so, what evidence (behaviors you observed) supports your hypothesis? Be specific! Use numbers to support your statements. For example, “I observed the male to groom others twice, but the female groomed others five times during the observation period.” o If your hypothesis was not supported, why do you think it was not supported? • Were there any other notable differences in behaviors among these individuals? • Were there other factors that might have affected the behavior of the primates during your observations (for example, did a keeper come in to feed them)? If so, discuss them. • What would you do differently if you were a researcher genuinely interested in studying how behavior is different among individuals within the same species? Part 3: Behavior in different kinds of social groups For this section, you will conduct observations of two groups of gorillas. Lincoln Park Zoo has two social groups of gorillas: a bachelor group and a family group. Most zoos only have one social group and LPZ provides a unique opportunity for you to observe how social behaviors in different types of social groups within the same species. 3a. First, spend at least 2 minutes observing the bachelor group and the family group. 3b. Based on your observations and knowledge of primates, make a hypothesis about a behavior that you expect to observe in these different social groups. For example, “I predict that the family group will _______ less than the bachelor group.” Record your hypothesis here: __________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Why do you think that behavior will be different between the two groups of gorillas? Briefly explain your reasoning. Record your reasoning here: __________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 9 _________________________________________________________________________ 3c. Collect group observations of the two groups of gorillas using the attached observation sheets. 3d. Make notes about the groups that you observed. Things that you may want to note: • Where does the species typically live in the wild? • What does this species usually eat? • Does one group tend to stay in closer proximity to each other than the other? • Do these groups differ in terms of how active they are, or where they spend their time (e.g. on the ground, in the climbing structures) 2e. In this section of your paper, you should use your hypothesis, reasoning, and observations to address the following points: • Provide some background information about the species observed. • What was your hypothesis? What reasoning do you have to support your prediction? • Was your hypothesis supported? o If so, what evidence (behaviors you observed) supports your hypothesis? Be specific! Use numbers to support your statements. o If your hypothesis was not supported, why do you think it was not supported? • Were there any other notable differences in behaviors among these groups? • Based on what you know about these social groups, were you surprised by anything you saw during your observations? • What would you do differently if you were a researcher genuinely interested in studying how behavior is different among bachelor and family groups in gorillas?                                                                                                                                  

Sample Solution