Primate Behavior Final Project

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ANTH 2764 Primate Behavior Spring 2022 Dr. Rockwell ANTH 2764 Chimpanzee Ethology – Final Project THIS ASSIGNMENT WILL BE DUE ON THE LAST DAY OF CLASS, MONDAY, APRIL 25, 11:59PM BEFORE YOU BEGIN : Go back and review Labs 6 through 9 posted on CANVAS. Use those labs as a reference to complete the assignment. Specifically, it is important that you understand sampling and recording methods used by ethologists to study animal behavior. READ the instructions below in their entirety – BEGINNING TO END - before starting the assignment. Submit your files through CANVAS . Accepted files types are: .doc, .docx, .txt, .pdf. If you work in Pages (Apple) you’ll need to convert your document to a word or PDF file. Any files submitted past the deadline will be marked as late. CANVAS will be closed for submissions 24 hours after the deadline. AFTER THE ASSIGNMENT CLOSES NO FURTHER SUBMISSION WILL BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT DOCUMENTATION OF AN EMERGENCY. PLAN ACCORDINGLY ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW The virtual Zoo assignment must be completed using the video footage found at: https://vimeo.com/45246079 This is a video of the chimpanzees at the Edinburg Zoo in Scotland filmed during feeding time. Although it is a short film, less than 10 minutes in length, there’s a lot to learn from it. The video includes film clips from three separate viewing sessions (Session 1, Session 2, and Session 3), which play in succession.  “Session 1” shown in the video provides an opportunity to collect basic data on the social organization of the troop and their movements and activities when not feeding.  “Session 2” and “Session 3” provide an opportunity to collect data on feeding, foraging and social behavior in the context of feeding. The Zoo assignment requires you to collect data and write a report about what you see in the video. The detailed instructions and questions follow. 1

ANTH 2764 Primate Behavior Spring 2022 Dr. Rockwell PART 1: DATA COLLECTION 1. Conduct an AD LIBITUM sampling of the chimps in Session 1, Session 2, and Session 3 of the video. Use CONTINUOUS recording of the behaviors. Write your observations in “real time”, as though you are taking field notes, describing what you see during Session 1, and then in Session 2, and then in Session 3. a. Write your observations in narrative, paragraph form, not bullet points – this is not an ethogram. Do not go back and edit the paragraphs. Treat it like raw data . There should be a separate paragraph for each Session in the film. Session 1 : The chimpanzees enter the frame. They walk in groups toward the tree/climbing structures. They begin to climb up the structure using ropes and branches. Once on the structure, the chimpanzees sit on the branches and observe their surroundings. Some climb further up the structure, while some go back on the ground. There were two chimpanzees that carried around an orange object. This could have been food. Session 2 : Some of the chimpanzees are sitting on the ground. They are looking around and observing their surroundings. Some of the chimpanzees are also eating while they are sitting on the ground. It is not known specifically what they are eating. One chimpanzee walks over to another chimpanzee that has food. The chimpanzee gets extremely close to the chimp with the food trying to get some of it. The chimp with the food refuses, so the other chimpanzee walks away and climbs up the tree. Then food is thrown down at the chimpanzees and they scramble to get some. All of the chimps gather on the ground collecting their food. Once they have collected enough food, the chimpanzees retreat to their own little space to eat. Session 3 : The chimpanzees are sitting in their own spaces eating their food. The chimps are on the ground just eating their food. One chimpanzee is laying down while eating. This chimp looks more gray and has a swollen bottom, so this could be a female chimpanzee. Once some are finish eating, the chimpanzees climb back up the structure or go in to the jungle-like set up. Slowly, most of the chimpanzees move out of frame to their hang out space. Only very few are sitting on the open ground eating. 2. Construct a single ETHOGRAM. Develop an ethogram for the chimpanzee using the ad lib sampling observations you recorded as directed above. You may re-watch the film to complete the ethogram. Use information from all three ad lib samples to make ONE ethogram of chimp behavior (NOT 3 separate ethograms). a. Aim to identify as many discrete behaviors as you can (a minimum of 10-15 terms). 2

ANTH 2764 Primate Behavior Spring 2022 Dr. Rockwell b. Provide a term and its unique definition for each entry in the ethogram. You may include feeding/foraging, locomotor/positional, social interactions such as grooming, or other definable behaviors, and/or a combination of these in your ethogram (recall that an ethogram is a catalog of a species’ behaviors). Sit : to posture one’s self that their bottom is in contact with the ground and their back is perpendicular to the ground. Walk : the use of all four limbs moving in conjunction so one can move about a space. Scan : to position one’s self at a higher elevation or on some plane in order to look out and observe surroundings. Stare : to be visually fixated on a certain object. Forage : the use of hands and eyes to dig through debris in order to find food or some certain object. Eat : the action using one’s mouth to chew and consume food. Climb : the act of using one’s forelimbs and hind limbs and some secure structure to elevate one’s position to a higher ground. Laying : to position one’s body horizontally so that it is parallel to the ground. Grab : the use of hands to grasps object in one’s environment. Sit in groups : to posture one’s self that their bottom is in contact with the ground and their back is perpendicular to the ground while they are in close proximity to others. Hang : to use one’s forelimbs and hands to dangle from a branch or some secure structure. Swing : to use one’s forelimbs and hands to propel their body to another position. 3. Write an ASSESSMENT OF THE QUALITY of the ethogram you constructed (approximately 1-2 paragraphs). Be sure to address the following questions in your assessment: a. Are you confident that you have observed a large proportion of the behavioral repertoire of this species (or not)? Explain your answer to this. b. What would you do in order to improve the quality of the ethogram? I believe I have constructed a solid ethogram. I was able to identify and define twelve terms. I was able to observe some of the behavioral action of this species by diligently watching their every move. However, I do believe there were more behaviors I could have observed that was not present in the film. I was able to get locomotor, positional, solitary, and observational behaviors. Unfortunately, I was not able to observe much social or playful behaviors. So, no, I do not think I observed a large portion of the behavioral repertoire for this species. Not having the full spectrum of behavioral actions of a species leaves us with huge holes in our data and knowledge of the species. To improve the quality of the ethogram, I would allow for more time to observe the chimpanzees and to observe them at different times of the day. The chimpanzees would most likely perform different behaviors in the beginning of the day compared to the middle and end of the day. I would also capture the chimpanzees from other angles. Angles that are higher up, lower to the ground, and more positioned in the jungle/swing 3

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ANTH 2764 Primate Behavior Spring 2022 Dr. Rockwell set up. Also, viewing the chimpanzees in their natural habitat instead of a confined area would allow for a more naturally improved ethogram. 4. Conduct a GROUP SCAN SAMPLE and answer the questions below. Your answer to each question should be brief, no more than a couple of sentences. To answer these questions you’ll need to stop, pause, rewind, and start the video on different occasions and record the time stamp on the video that corresponds to the answer to the questions. For example, if I ask, “When is the first appearance of a chimpanzee in this video?” The correct response is, “A chimp first appears at 0:18 in the film.” (This means 18 seconds from the beginning of the film. You can see the time by hovering your curser over the portion of your screen where the film is playing). Session 1 a. How many animals are in the Edinburgh Zoo group? ______________ 17 ________________ Count the animals as they enter your field of view in the lower left of the screen. b. What is the maximum number of animals visible during Session 1 of the film? _____________ 9 _________________ What is the time stamp at the beginning and end of when you see the maximum number of animals? 0:46- 1:20 c. What is the ratio of males to females? ___________ 10:7 _________________________ Chimpanzees are moderately sexually dimorphic, but the smaller animals are not always females; they could be older sub-adults of either sex. So, take time to look at primary sexual characteristics to count the numbers of males and females. Females have obvious sexual skin around the anogenital area, whereas males have fur around the anal area and large testes visible between their legs when they walk. d. How many of the females appear to be fertile as indicated by enlarged sexual swellings? ________________ 6 ___________________ Session 2 and 3 a. At the beginning of Session 2, how many animals are visible? _______7___________ How many are eating? ___________ 4 ________________ b. Describe the sequence of actions between the female and male in the center-left from 3:20 – 3:50. 4

ANTH 2764 Primate Behavior Spring 2022 Dr. Rockwell The female chimpanzee sees the male chimp with food. She goes over toward him and evades his space. She gets extremely close to get his food, but he resists. She then walks away when she cannot get any food. c. Describe the sequence of actions between the male and female center-lower left from 4:06 – 4:08. The female chimpanzee came into frame once the food was being thrown down. However, a male chimpanzee chased the female chimpanzee out of frame. d. Describe the sequence of actions between the male and female the upper right from 4:35 – 4:37. Once both the female and the male chimpanzee had collected their food, they started to sit down. These specific two sit with their backs to each other, almost sitting on each other for a second. They then got up to relocate to another spot. e. Between 4:33 and 4:39, can you identify the dominant animal in the group? ________ Describe his or her actions. The dominant animal in the group is a male chimpanzee. He is an all-black chimpanzee with what seems to be thin hair because his coat looks brownish. When he moves about the space, both male and female chimps get out of his way. f. Give the time stamps at the beginning and end of the portion of the video when you see an animal walking bipedally and carrying food. Indicate whether the animal(s) is a male or female. A male chimpanzee was walking bipedally while carrying food from 4:37- 4:42. There were actually two males bipedally walking while carrying food in this time slot. Another male walks from 4:55 – 5:00. A male chimpanzee walks while carrying food from 5:55 – 6:06. I was not able to identify any female chimpanzees walking bipedally. g. Overall, do the chimps engage in much social interaction while feeding? Give some evidence for your answer. For example, give the time stamps at the beginning and end of a portion of the film that supports the answer to this question. The chimps do little social interaction while they are feeding. The chimps do sit in very small groups while they eat. One group of two forms from 6:05- 6:20. That 5

ANTH 2764 Primate Behavior Spring 2022 Dr. Rockwell group breaks up and the chimps decide to sit somewhere else. Once they finish eating, the chimps go explore to themselves. - GO TO NEXT PAGE - 6

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ANTH 2764 Primate Behavior Spring 2022 Dr. Rockwell PART 2: REPORT 5. Write a 2-3 page, double-spaced report analyzing the raw data you collected from the video. The report should have the following 5 parts. a. Provide a VERY BRIEF introduction to the species Pan troglodytes and some background about the behavior of this species (e.g. describe briefly their social organization, mating system and social structure; highlight the social relationships between males and females). LIMIT THE LENGTH OF THIS DESCRIPTION to 3-4 sentences. b. Provide a VERY BRIEF description of where the chimps were living and, generally, what was going on during the film. In other words, give the context for the behaviors you observed. LIMIT THE LENGTH OF THIS to about 2-3 sentences. c. Provide a summary of the social organization and behavior you observed among the group of chimps in the film . (Note, this may or may not be like what you learn from the textbook, outside sources, or lecture. Remember – you are just seeing a few minutes’ worth of their behavior.) THIS SHOULD BE A WELL WRITTEN, FULL PARAGRAPH (6-8 sentences with a topic sentence, supporting information, and a last summary/conclusion sentence). In other words, this is not just a list of information. d. Explain what you learned by watching the film and USE THE DATA YOU COLLECTED to support your comments. THIS SHOULD BE TWO (2) WELL WRITTEN, FULL PARAGRAPHS. i. First write about what you learned in general. ii. Second, what did you learn about male-female social relationships; male- male social relationships; and, female-female social relationships? e. End with a brief closing paragraph. f. LIST THE COMPLETE CITATION FOR THE REFERECES YOU USED 7

ANTH 2764 Primate Behavior Spring 2022 Dr. Rockwell Pan troglodytes Pan troglodytes, but more commonly known as, chimpanzees, are a species of great apes. They live in groups that span from 6 to 150 members in Africa’s various savannas or evergreen rainforests. Within these groups, chimpanzees live in mutli-male and mutlti-female social groups. There is male philopatry, whereas the females of the group undergo dispersal. The male dominance of the species creates strong male to male bonds. There is female dominance among the females of the species, but it does not rank or hold as much power as the males. Chimpanzees engage in a number of mating systems, which include, opportunistic mating, consortship mating, possessive mating, and extra-group mating. Unfortunately, as of 2016, “ Pan troglodytes is listed as Endangered under criteria A4bcde” (WCS). The film takes place in the Edinburg Zoo in Scotland. The chimpanzees were observed at their feeding time. As the film begins, the chimpanzees enter into frame from the bottom left corner. Some climb into the tree-like structure, while some choose to wander the grounds. We are able to observe some of the chimp’s temperament as well as their sex. As time went by, we saw the zoo staff throw down food to the chimpanzees. This sent them into a frenzy to hurry up and acquire the food. Over the duration of the short film, we were able to gather information on the behaviors and social organization of the great ape species. Most of the chimps interacted in small two to three partner groups, but most became isolated. They sat and ate by themselves. Males would be with males and females would be with females. Around three minutes into the film, we saw a female chimpanzee get really close to a male chimpanzee that had food. It looked like she wanted to get some of his food, but the male chimp refused. There were not too many violent interactions that occurred in the film. However, one instance around four minutes into the film, a male chimpanzee had chased away another chimp out of frame. Lastly, a male chimp intimidated a female chimp, which caused her to run away 8

ANTH 2764 Primate Behavior Spring 2022 Dr. Rockwell from him. One moment that was funny happened at session 2. A male and female chimpanzee after getting their food, went to sit down and accidently sat on each other. They both got up and found somewhere else to sit. Even though I was only able to watch a short, eight-minute video of chimpanzees, I think I was able to gain some knowledge. I learned that, “there is a linear dominance hierarchy, in male chimpanzees, and males are dominant over females” (Lang, K. C. (2006, April 13). There are multiple instances where the male chimps harass and boss the female chimps around. In addition, I observed that this group has a dominant member. The one male chimp that chased away the female and another male chimp seemed to be the head chimpanzee. I observed that the female chimpanzees seemed to be very passive and gentle in this dynamic. When the female chimpanzee wanted some of the male’s food, she just stared in the male chimpanzees face, then left when he would not give in. If this were the male chimpanzees, especially the dominant one, things could have become violent. This short film gave me an opportunity to see some of the relationship dynamics between the chimpanzees. As stated before, in the male-female relationship, the male chimpanzee was dominant, while the female was passive. Within the male-male relationship, the alpha or more dominant man lead. There was no violent interaction between the male-male relationships. I did not notice much between the female-female relationships. At most, I saw two female chimpanzees walking and climbing together. As stated above, there is usually a high ranking female chimpanzee, but her rank is minute compared to the male chimps. In all, this short observational video of chimpanzees in the Edinburg Zoo at feeding time was able to yield substantial information on the great apes. We were able to detail the type of hierarchy within the group. We observed the relationships between male and male, female and male, and female 9

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ANTH 2764 Primate Behavior Spring 2022 Dr. Rockwell and female chimpanzees. If we were able to observe the chimpanzees in their natural habitat for a longer duration of time, the knowledge gained would be incredible. Still, this film displayed enough for the viewer to get an understanding of chimpanzees and their various interactions. 10

ANTH 2764 Primate Behavior Spring 2022 Dr. Rockwell Works Cited: (WCS), A. P., Society), F. M. (W. C., Elizabeth A. Williamson (University of Stirling), Humle, T., & Oates, J. (2016, March 24). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15933/129038584 Lang, K. C. (2006, April 13). Chimpanzee . Wisconsin National Primate Research Center. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://primate.wisc.edu/primate-info-net/pin-factsheets/pin-factsheet- chimpanzee/#behavior-sociality 11

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