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6: Primate Ecology and Behavior

  • Page ID
    138527
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    Learning Objectives

    • Understand ethology and its role in primatology
    • Practice scientific observation of primate behavior
    • Analyze findings and present them in an organized written report

    • 6.1: Watching Primates
      This page describes an assignment focused on observing primate behavior through online videos, utilizing the scientific method. Students will create an ethogram for data collection using scan sampling and report their findings after observation. The assignment includes preparation, observation, and report writing, emphasizing time budget analysis for quantifying behaviors. Discussions will assess surprises and challenges encountered.
    • 6.2: Watching Primates (Worksheet)
      This page covers the study of primate behavior, emphasizing Jane Goodall's research and the use of ethology. It describes an observational activity where students analyze zoo primates through video, utilizing scan sampling and ethograms to document behaviors. It also outlines the structure for writing an observational report, focusing on scene descriptions, individual behavior analysis, and time budgeting of activities.
    • 6.3: Primate Behavior Part I
      This page discusses a lab activity centered on observing nonhuman primate behavior at a zoo, highlighting ethology's practical applications. Students will conduct an ad lib study, focusing on coding behaviors without attributing human emotions, while accounting for differences in captive vs. wild primates. It emphasizes creating clear ethograms and accurate behavior categories for data collection.
    • 6.4: Primate Behavior Part I (Worksheet)
      This page outlines observational techniques for studying primate behavior in captivity, noting that while behaviors can differ from wild environments, qualitative similarities exist under optimal conditions. It emphasizes conducting real-time observations without anthropomorphism and developing an ethogram to categorize behaviors with precise definitions.
    • 6.5: Primate Behavior Part II
      This page covers a lab module on observing nonhuman primates at a zoo, utilizing scan sampling and continuous focal animal follow methods for behavioral data collection. Students will create ethograms, reflect on their findings, and analyze behavior differences by age and sex through guided discussions. Adaptations for online learning include using zoo webcams.
    • 6.6: Primate Behavior Part II (Worksheet)
      This page discusses methods for observing animal behavior, focusing on scan sampling and continuous focal animal follow techniques. It details how to record specific behaviors, including timing, duration, and rates of occurrence. The strengths and limitations of each method are emphasized, alongside the significance of comparing behavior rates and analyzing variations by age and sex.

    Thumbnail: Primates exhibit complex behavior that can be interpreted through careful observation.


    This page titled 6: Primate Ecology and Behavior is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Explorations (Anthropology) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.