Primate Observation Report

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Unraveling the Mysteries of Human Behavior—Examining the Link Between Primates and Humans While observing the primates at the San Francisco Zoo, one question kept haunting me. Are we really that different? The physical similarities are quite obvious—from their dexterous hands and similar body type to their humanlike expressive faces; even children can see that they resemble us. Many will argue that our complex brains, use of language, and the ability to walk upright are a few of the differences that separate us from primates, but while observing the gorillas and chimps, I saw many of the same behaviors that we exhibit. When taking into account the fact that we share between 98%-99% of our DNA with gorillas and chimpanzees, I became…show more content…
She was perched on a rock, branch in hand, looking directly at the zoo visitors. She seemed almost as curious about us as we were about her. She displayed two different methods for removing leaves from the branches. Some of the leaves she would pick off the branch individually and put in her mouth. She would slowly and thoroughly chew each leaf before eating another, and then she would inspect the branch and choose her next leaf. Another technique she used was sliding her right hand over the entire branch while holding it in her left hand, collecting all the leaves in her right hand, and then eating them individually. She clearly was enjoying her meal, eating very slowly and casually observing us while we watched her eat. There was no observed sharing of…show more content…
They would still traverse the land using a type of locomotion called knuckle –walking. They would still participate in grooming, which appears to be a comforting social encounter they enjoy. They would still form social groups with the males as leaders. I do believe, however, that they are missing out on the activities that they were meant to participate it, such as the hunting and gathering of food, which provides not only exercise, but a sense of accomplishment as well. They are not interacting with different members of their species, which demands competition for food and mates, relationship building, and different types of social interaction, which I believe to be important in living a “true” chimp or gorilla life. Although keeping these animals in captivity has some advantages for both species, for example, no predation, less competition for food and mates and access to heath care, as well as allowing us to learn a great deal about them, it does come with a price--that being the loss of the lifestyle that these animals were naturally meant to have. While observing the primates, I was reminded that many of the behaviors I was witnessing are very similar to our own, and we can learn so much about ourselves and our behaviors by observing them. I caught a glimpse of what a gorilla childhood is
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