Primate Behavior Lab: Part I
Format: In person or online
A group of gelada baboons grooming.
Author: Rebecca Frank
Source: “Activity 13.” 2019. Frank, Rebecca, Brian Pierson, Philip Stein. LAVC Anthro 111 Lab Manual. 7th Edition.
Time needed: 60-90 minutes
Learning Objectives
- Observe and describe nonhuman primate behavior
- Learn how to create and use an ethogram
- Practice ad lib study
Supplies Needed
- Paper, pencil, clipboard
- Stopwatch
- Requires zoo visit
- Student worksheet
Readings
- Jaffe, Karin Enstam. 2019. Chapter 6: Primate Behavior and Ecology. Explorations.
Introduction
It is not practical to illustrate the concepts of primate behavior by taking a trip to the Amazon forest or African savannas. Most zoos, however, exhibit primates that can serve as a laboratory for observing animal behavior.
The behavior of primates in captivity differs in some ways from their behavior in natural habitats. In captivity, social interactions are apt to be more frequent and more intense than they are in the wild (Patterson 1992: 3). Captive animals have a set diet and limited opportunities for natural foraging behavior. Long treks or attacks by predators do not occur in the controlled environment of a zoo. Captive animals may also display abnormal behaviors related to the stress of captivity that are not typical of wild populations (c.f. chimpanzees; Birkett and Newton-Fisher 2011). Observations of captive primates need to keep these issues in mind while also recognizing that most behavior in captivity is typical of wild groups of the same species (Birkett and Newton-Fisher 2011; Scott and Lockard 1999).
In this lab, students will go to the local zoo to observe primates. They will conduct an ad lib study and create an ethogram. Instructors may choose to assign this lab along with the “Primate Behavior Lab: Part II,” in which students use the ethogram they create in this lab while conducting scan sampling and continuous focal animal sampling.
Steps
- Students will go to the zoo, either in groups or individually, to conduct this lab.
- Students will record information about the enclosure and their observations on the student worksheet (attached). The worksheets include instructions to students.
- In addition to having students turn in the worksheet, instructors may initiate a class discussion for students to describe their experiences and observations.
Review Questions
- How do we define and describe behavior when we study primates?
- Define “ad lib study” and an “ethogram.”
- What are the biggest challenges in observing primate behavior?
- Which behaviors did you observe? What are some benefits and some drawbacks of collecting observations using this method?
Adapting for Online Learning
If this is an in-person lab, rank how adaptable to online learning it would be (mark in bold):
Tip: For online classes, students could complete observations at the zoo and turn in the worksheet online. It can also be interesting for students to observe humans with this very different frame. Many zoos with live-webcams that would allow students to observe a group of primates from home. See, for example:
References
Birkett, Lucy P. and Nicholas E. Newton-Fisher. 2011. “How Abnormal Is the Behaviour of Captive, Zoo-Living Chimpanzees?” PLoS ONE 6(6): e20101. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0020101
Frank, Rebecca. 2019. “Activity 13.1: Ab Lib Study” and “Activity 13.2: Developing an Ethogram.” In LAVC Anthro 111 Lab Manual, 7th Edition, edited by Frank, Rebecca, Brian Pierson, and Philip Stein.
Jaffe, Karin Enstam. 2019. “Chapter 6: Primate Behavior and Ecology.” In Explorations: An Open Invitation to Biological Anthropology, edited by Beth Shook, Katie Nelson, Kelsie Aguilera, and Lara Braff. Arlington, VA: American Anthropological Association. http://explorations.americananthro.org/
Patterson, James D. 1992. Primate Behavior: An exercise workbook. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
Scott, Jennifer and John Lockard. 1999. “Female dominance relationships among captive Western Lowland Gorillas: Comparisons with the wild.” Behaviour. 136(10/11), 1283–1310.
Primate Behavior Part I: Worksheet
Instructions
It is not practical to illustrate the concepts of primate behavior by taking a trip to the Amazon forest or African savannas. Most zoos, however, exhibit primates that can serve as a laboratory for observing animal behavior.
The behavior of primates in captivity may differ from their behavior in natural habitats. Yet, comparative studies of captive and wild populations of the same species have demonstrated that, under ideal captive conditions, the qualitative aspects of behavior differ little from those observed in the wild. In captivity, however, social interactions are apt to be more frequent and more intense than they are in the wild. Of course, some situations, such as long treks or attacks by predators, will not take place in the controlled environment of a zoo.
When you first walk up to the enclosure, the behavior of the individuals may appear to be erratic and random. However, many of these behaviors are patterned responses to specific situations. You need to be patient. It takes time to recognize common behavior and to ultimately be able to interpret why certain things are occurring.
Behaviors are best seen and described as motor activities, that is, physical movements. A real danger is to read emotions and motivations into the behavior of nonhuman animals. Without being able to interview these primates, you really do not know what is going on in their minds. The best you can do is to carefully and accurately describe the physical activity of the animals and note the context of that behavior.
As you observe your chosen primate group remember that you share a number of features, so avoid interacting with them. Your behavior might influence their behavior. Do not stare at primates, which can signal a threat. Do not attempt to get their attention with noises or movements. Remember, you are attempting to observe natural behavior.
1a. Ad Lib Study
The first type of study that you will do is an ad lib study. In this type of study, you write down your observations as a list of behavioral events. Use the worksheet (below). For each event, carefully describe what is occurring, who is involved (if two or more individuals are involved, note who initiates the activity and toward whom it is directed), and approximately how long the event lasts. You should also note the time an event begins and ends.
If too much is happening too quickly, do not panic. Instead, zero in on one event at a time, and don't worry if something else is happening elsewhere. If very little is happening, focus on providing more detail, such as where individuals are looking and what they are doing with their hands, feet, or faces.
As you write your notes, you will need to refer to individual animals. Use a code, referring to the adult male as AM, adult female as AF, infant male as IM, and so on. If there are two adult females in the cage, refer to them as AF1 and AF2. Or you can name each individual, but still use a short code.
Students frequently make two errors in doing an ad lib narrative.
Error 1: An ad lib narrative is not a summary. You are to write down everything (or as much as you can) that is happening as it happens, even if a particular behavior is repeated several times.
In the following example there are four animals observed over a period of about four minutes.
1:23 AF1 is sitting and looking at the ground. She picks up seeds and grasses with fingers. 1:25 A number are collected. AF1 put seeds into her mouth.
1:26 AF1 Scratches self with left foot on left side of head. AF2 in back of cage is eating a long twig.
1:27 JM climbs on wire mesh and looks back at other animals. JM jumps down and begins eating grass. Moves grass aside to expose seeds.
1:30 JM grabs handful of grass in right hand and jumps up to overhanging branch. He hangs upside down pulling on the grass that has wrapped around the branch.
1:32 JM Suddenly jumps to the ground and resumes eating.
1:36 JM walks rapidly to AF2 and sits in front of her exploring food that she is placing in her mouth. AF2 pushes JM’s hand away, turns back toward him.
1:40 JM runs to center of cage, picks up grass, leaps to overhanging branch.
Error 2: Unless you are successful in interviewing the animals, you have no way of knowing what they are thinking or why they are doing something. Many of their behaviors may resemble human behaviors, but that does not mean that we may interpret nonhuman primate behaviors as human behaviors. J.D. Paterson (1992: 3) writes:
“…one must be extremely careful not to impute human motives, emotions, or intentions to these animals. This is anthropomorphism and is an often-unconscious form of bias which is associated with anthropocentrism, the perspective which placed man (Homo sapiens) as the central and most important organism in existence. It ought to be clear after a few minutes that these primates are not little humans, and that even if the action does reflect the same emotion, motive, or intention as a human would express under the same circumstances, the observer cannot prove it.”
1b. Developing an Ethogram
An ethogram is a catalog of the behaviors observed in a species. It takes many long hours of observation to develop a complete catalog; you will make a simple ethogram.
A problem in developing an ethogram is deciding how generalized or how specific each category and definition should be. Let us use play behavior as an example. One definition of social play behavior is: repetitive, exaggerated, disjointed and seemingly non-purposeful behavior involving two or more animals. However, the category “play” can include a variety of different actions, including: climb or stand on another, turn circles around another, piggyback ride, peek-a-boo, tickle, arm shake, run away, (one animal runs away from another as an invitation to chase), chest beat, object wave, object shake, object tug/grab, push or nudge, grab/pull, kick, wrestle, play bite, play face. You should try to identify between six and 10 broad behavior categories in your ethogram.
Review your notes from your ad lib narrative and identify the kinds of behaviors you are likely to see. Give your behavior a simple descriptive name and write a one- or two-sentence definition. Be careful: Don’t describe a behavior by using the behavior itself. “Walk” can’t be defined as “walking fast on four legs.” A good example is “grooming”: “using the hand to examine and brush through fur.” Try to identify behaviors that are mutually exclusive, meaning an animal can only do one of the behaviors at a time. For example, an animal may be sitting and grooming. If you have two behaviors that can be done at the same time, note which behavior is more important (relevant to your research questions) and will have priority in your data collection.
Include behaviors in different categories so that you will be prepared to describe a variety of events that could occur in your group. Just because you saw a 40-minute bout of play during your ad lib observation does not guarantee you will see any play during your scan sample. Be sure to include basic behaviors like eat, walk, sit, and forage (processing food but not actually chewing it).
Worksheet
Write the common and scientific names of the species you have selected, as well as the number and types of individuals. You may need to ask a zoo guide for this information if it is not easily observable or not included on the enclosure placard.
| Common Name: |
Scientific Name: |
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Number of Males |
Number of Females |
| Infants |
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| Juveniles |
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| Adults |
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| Total Count |
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1a. Ad Lib Data
Write everything you see happening in the enclosure for a period of 30 minutes. Do not rewrite or type up your notes. Submit the actual notes you wrote at the zoo. Use additional sheets of paper if needed. Write down what happens, who does it, and when.
1b. Ethogram
Complete this part of the lab after you finish collecting the ad lib notes.
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Definition/Description of Behavior |
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