Inglemoor HS / IB Biology Year 2 / Revised 2013_14
Adapted from Exercise 5 in Paterson, J.D. (2001). Primate Behavior, 2 nd Ed. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland
Press, Inc. Dr. Paterson was a terrific resource in the development of this activity!
Introduction
The manner in which a primate, individually or as part of a group, divides up its waking hours is considered to represent an important aspect of its ecological adaptation. This is known as a
time budget or activity budget, and represents the priority of resource utilization in the activities of making a living. Activity
(time) budget data allow many comparisons – for example, across species, across age-sex classes, or as a function of time of day
Our research focus is to observe the behavior of and construct time budgets for one group of captive primates at Woodland Park
Zoo in Seattle, WA. We will employ continuous focal animal
sampling, an information-rich behavior observation method.
Later, we’ll pool our data to construct activity (time) budgets.
Materials
Working copy of data tables (suggestion: carry on clipboard, covered with a plastic bag in case it rains), your cell phone’s digital timer, & pencils. Binoculars may help. Since our winter weather is chilly, wear layers of warm clothing, gloves, a hat, and a hooded raincoat. No umbrellas – they block others’ views.
Strategy
As a class, we’ll select one group of primates to observe. Each student in the class will conduct 30 minutes of observation of one primate from within that group. We’ll obviously need to know how to tell the individual primates apart! And we’ll need to agree on a user-friendly ethogram. An ethogram is a catalog of the descriptions of 8 to 12 anticipated relevant behavioral states. Ideally the descriptions of the behaviors should be clear and mutually exclusive. Because primates are our closest living relatives, we need to guard against being anthropomorphic; we shouldn’t describe the primates’ behavior by simple analogy to human experience. One more thing: we need to decide what to do about OOS time (see p. 3).
FYI: Our data will be diurnal – we’ll take data during the animals’ active period only, from when they awaken in the morning to when they go to sleep at night. (Most primates are tropical, and in the tropics there is usually 12 h of daylight and 12 h of darkness.)
Procedure: before going to the zoo
1. Research the natural history of the species of primate your class selected.
2. Design two raw data tables for conducting your 30-minute behavioral observation: a) Plan to record relevant data management information in the first table: date, time, weather, primate group size and composition, description of enclosure, crowd size (onlookers), picture(s) or identifying description of your focal animal. b) Design the second table to hold elapsed time (from 0:00 to 30:00) and notes for everything your focal primate does. You won’t have to write as much if you give codes for the behaviors on the ethogram, like FF for feeding/foraging. Record everything the animal does, the start and stop times of each behavioral state with no breaks between behaviors. If you see a behavior that is not on the ethogram, record it! We’ll practice this technique in class using animal behavior videos!
(You could make a 30 min. videotape and then play back the video at home to fill out this table, but this is time-consuming.)

Inglemoor HS / IB Biology 2
Procedure: at Woodland Park Zoo
Zoo etiquette: For admission fees, transportation directions, etc. visit the Woodland Park Zoo’s website: www.zoo.org
. Consider buying a Zoo membership; you help conservation and get free admission for a year.
Please adhere to the Zoo’s rules, including keeping the volume of your voice LOW when near exhibits. The
Woodland Park Zoo is open from 9:30 am – 4 pm every day during the winter.
1. Head out to Woodland Park Zoo by yourself or with one or more partners. Depending on the primate group your class chose, several students may be able to conduct their 30 min. observations at the same time on different animals in the group.
2. If another member of the class is already at the zoo, and has already started his/her observation on the animal that you wanted to observe, do NOT overlap! Enjoy seeing some of the zoo, grab a bite to eat, etc. No more than one observation of the same animal during the same 30 min. on the same day!
3. Be friendly to curious onlookers! Explain what you’re doing. You represent yourself, IHS, and all teens!
4. Identify your focal animal from among the others in his/her enclosure. This is critical! And spend a little time (5-15 min.?) familiarizing yourself with the behavior of your focal animal before beginning the formal study time. Practice taking a little data. How will you hold your timer, clipboard, etc.?
5. Begin your formal 30 min observation. A partner can assist you in collecting your data, and you can assist your partner in collecting his/her data. If you decide to conduct your research like this, your two 30-minute observations will probably be contiguous (e.g. 1 – 1:30, then 1:30 – 2 pm).
6. When observing, do not wear bright colors, do not get too close, do not stare at your focal animal’s eyes, do not stand (better to sit) and do not talk loudly.
Data Analysis
1. Add your 30 min of data to the class pool. Thirty students x 30 min of data/student = 900 min, spread among 2 to 5 animals (it depends on the primate group chosen by the class).
2. Extract time budget data from the focal animal sampling by re-sorting our data into a “generic” set of mutually exclusive behavioral state categories, typically Resting, Moving, Feeding/Foraging,
Socializing, and Other. We’ll do this in class together.
3. Using class data, calculate the percentage of time our primates spent in each of these behavior states. These data are the primates’ activity (time) budgets.
4. Graphically display our primates’ activity (time) budget data.
Conclusion & Evaluation
Draw conclusions from our class' activity (time) budget data. Use the literature to research what is known about the activity (time) budgets for our primate species or for closely related species. Note whether the observations were made on captive or wild primates and whether the primates were observed for 24 h, or for daylight hours only. Use proper in-text citation.
Due Dates: Bring your data to class on: __________________ Report is due: ____________________
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Inglemoor HS / IB Biology 2
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