ANTHROPOLOGY 1: Introduction to Physical Anthropology
Written Projects Assignment
Project 1
50pts
Due In Class:
Wednesday,
February 1st
Schaefers Winter 2012
Project 2
50pts
Due In Class:
Monday,
March 19th
Primate Observation (50 points)
Project 1
One of the ways that Physical Anthropologists approach the understanding of ancient and modern human social and cultural behavior
is through the study of our closest living relatives: The Primates. In this assignment, you will become a Primatologist. Your
assignment is to observe at least two different Primate species at a zoo and compare their behaviors to each other and then discuss how
this might help us to understand human behavior. *If you cannot go to a zoo to observe the Primates, you may choose to do an
alternative written research paper, upon approval by the instructor.
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You will be required to observe two different primate species.
You will record each primate for one hour.
You may perform your observations at any zoo you would like – the closest zoos are the San Francisco Zoo and the Oakland
Zoo, however you may be able to visit Happy Hollow in San Jose (information on each of these zoos is located on the back
of this sheet).
Choose any two primate species: the S.F. and Oakland Zoos have the widest array of primates, including chimpanzees and
Gorillas.
I would recommend choosing two very different species for your observations.
I also strongly recommend contacting the zoo ahead of time and finding out when they feed the primates and/or when the
primates tend to be most active –this will decrease your chances of sitting in front of a primate enclosure watching your
subjects sleep for an hour!
BRING THIS PAPER AND A NOTEBOOK WITH YOU TO THE ZOO
Part I: The Observation -- Field notes and field-charts (20 points)
Visit a zoo and systematically record and describe the behavior of two different primate species.
FIELDNOTES
 You should keep detailed fieldnotes for this part of the assignment.
 Observe each primate species for at least one hour and describe what the animals do along with the exact time each behavior
occurs.
 If there is more than one individual in the enclosure, you should choose one animal and specifically track that individual’s
behavior.
FIELD CHART
Observation Charts
 In order to systematize your data collection, set up 2 separate observation charts that you will submit.
 You will have a chart for each primate observed.
 Each chart needs to have more than 25 observations.
 It can be a rough chart that looks like the one below…
Observation Chart
Primate
Species
Name/ID #
Observation
Behavioral (B) or Physical
(P) Trait Observed
Why is it being selected for? What is the Natural
Selection process?
Howler
Monkey - 1
Pooped in its hand and threw
it at an annoying kid making
noises at it
B : Feces throwing
Driving others away, show dominance, protect
resources and territory
Howler
Monkey - 1
A scream so loud it sounded
like a lion, howls like its
name, probably why its called
that
P: Voice box makes very
loud sounds.
Those that communicate longer distances get more
mates
Howler
Monkey - 1
A loud scream
Etc
(More than 25 observations
in total!!)
B: Loud vocalization when
hears other noises.
Maybe a dominance thing or territoriality. I will
look it up. Do the females and males both do it?
Or only males?
You will be required to turn in your field notes and chart with your final paper, so be sure to take careful notes during your
observations and keep them afterwards!!! Be creative with your observations – if you want to take pictures or draw maps, diagrams,
etc., these may also be handed in with your final paper.
Things are happening fast, so there will be no way to observe and note everything. However if you note 30 or so elements, then you
will have a good data set to use for the paper. Make a note of all behaviors you observe, including the individual’s range of
movement within the enclosure, the nature of any interactions with other individuals, reactions to any external stimuli like loud noises
or the antics of other zoo visitors, food procurement behavior, etc. In particular, you should watch for actions related to the following
categories of behavior: food acquisition and sharing practices, mating strategies (i.e. monogamy, polygamy, etc.), social organization
(i.e. large vs. small groups) and intelligence.
FIELD CHART
Captivity Charts
 Then in your notes write about the effects of captivity.
 Then make a chart. You will have a chart for each primate observed.
 What is the behavior that you see that captivity creates? Or changes from the wild?
 Note 5 things that captivity does to each of the animals. See example below.
Captivity Chart
Primate Species
Name/ID #
Observation
Why is it taking place?
Gorilla - Silverback
–1
Sat in one place the entire hour, never
moved, stared into space
Captivity has created severe depression in the animal,
completely affecting his behavior.
Etc
(At least 5 observations in total!)
Part II: The Formal Chart (30 points)
1. You are required to prepare formal charts using a computer program such as Excel or Word. Set up the Observation Chart
exactly as you see above. Do this first before you write the rest of the paper. Each of the example categories should be
present in your formal Observation Chart. Each animal should have more than 25 observations listed.
2.
Set up the Captivity Chart exactly as you see above. You should have a separate Captivity Chart for each primate. This is
the most important section of the paper. The most important column is the last column, where you state WHY you think
behaviors are taking place in terms of natural selection.
Project 1
50pts
Due In Class:
Wednesday,
February 1st
Project 2
50pts
Due In Class:
Monday,
March 19th
The Final Report Using Chart Data (50 points) – 3 pages maximum
Project 2
After making your observations at the zoo, read back through your notes and chart: do any behavioral patterns emerge? You do this by
stepping back from the notes you have taken to assess the data as an anthropologists would. Did some behaviors occur over and over?
What behaviors seem to be most common and what sort of functions are they associated with (i.e. food acquisition, competition for
mates, alliance building, etc.)? You have 2 animals with many behavioral and physical characteristics noted. What you need to do
now is look for patterns in the data. What leaps out as significant to you in terms of comparing these two animals?
THE POINT OF THE PAPER IS TO USE THE DATA FROM THE CHART – NOT OTHER DATA THAT YOU TOOK NOTE OF
FROM THE ZOO OR ONLINE OR IN A BOOK.
Section 1: Introduction and Primate Descriptions (10 points)
For Section 1 of the body of your paper, describe very clearly what this paper will be doing, state the nature of your research,
and finally, summarize what the research results were. In the next short paragraph write up brief descriptions of the primates
you observed at the zoo, based on your fieldnotes. Be sure to describe any interesting behaviors observed and your general
impressions of the primates. This section should also include the specific location of your primate observations (Zoo name
and location), the date and time of your observations, the common name of the Primates you observed (i.e. chimpanzee,
lemur, etc.), and the scientific name of the species (Genus & species name). Use your own observations to describe the
primates. DO NOT USE ONLINE SOURCE DESCRIPTIONS HERE.
Section 2: Primate Comparison (10 points)
Compare and contrast the behaviors of the two primates you observed. How do the behaviors of the primates differ from one
another? How are they similar? In terms of evolution and natural selection, why might these differences and similarities
exist? For each behavior or physical trait – you MUST interpret WHY they are the same or different. Keep referring to your
chart. In particular, try to address different categories of behavior outlined above: food acquisition and sharing, mating
strategies, social organization, intelligence. Try to determine if they share or don’t share ANCESTRAL TRAITS and if they
do or don’t WHY.
Section 3: The Effects of Captivity (10 points)
For Section 4 of the body of your paper, reflect on the Captivity Chart that you made. What are the effects that being in
captivity and on display in a zoo might have on the behaviors of the primates you observed. How “natural” do you think the
behaviors you observed are? Would the primates act differently if observed in the wild? If so, can you explain why?
Section 4: Insights into Human Behavior (10 points)
Finally, for Section 5 of the body of your paper, consider what kind of insights the primate behaviors you observed might
give us into human behavior, either ancient or modern. Can you identify similar patterns of behavior in humans? If so, do
you think that these patterns may come about for similar reasons as in the Primates, or for different reasons? What,
ultimately, can studying Primates really tell us about humans, based especially on your work as a Primatologist? Explain
WHY in terms of your DATA they seem to be similar or different from each other and from Homo sapiens. Be thinking the
whole time about TRAITS and DATA. Could each species share traits with humans and not with each other?
Section 6: Quick Conclusion (10 points)
Wrap it up – summarize everything from the other sections. Lastly, avoid being WISHY WASHY, no professor wants to
read how you were ‘transformed by this experience’ or that it was ‘really interesting’. These statements do not make it a
science paper.
Paper Format and Structure
Your field notes from the zoo should be handed in as-is. These notes should be attached to your final paper as appendices (at the end
However, you do need to make a nice chart of all the observations (see Part II). ). Your final paper should be written in formal
academic style, with a clear introduction stating the thesis and purpose of the paper, a body broken down into the four sections
outlined above in Part II, and a strong conclusion summarizing your thesis and the results of your observations. If you have not
written a formal paper before or have questions about formatting, grammar, etc., I encourage you to submit a rough draft of your
paper to me at least one week in advance of the due date so that I can review it and return it to you with comments and
suggestions. YOU WILL BE GRADED ON YOUR SPELLING, GRAMMAR AND PAPER ORGANIZATION. PAPERS
SUBMITTED WITHOUT AN INTRODUCTION OR CONCLUSION WILL AUTOMATICALLY LOSE 5 POINTS. LATE
PAPERS WILL BE DEDUCTED 10 POINTS PER WEEK LATE.
**To receive full credit for this project, you must include a ticket stub from the zoo you visited and the original copies of your
field notes** This assignment is worth 100 points towards your final class grade.
LOCAL ZOO INFORMATION:
San Francisco Zoo
1 Zoo Road
San Francisco, CA 94132
Phone: Main Office: 415-753-7080
Zoo admission = $15 for Adults
Parking = $5.00
Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily
Website: http://www.sfzoo.org
Oakland Zoo [people are having great experiences here!]
9777 Golf Links Rd.
Oakland, CA
Phone: 510-632-9525
Zoo admission = $12.50 for Adults (15-55); free for children
under 2
Parking = $5.00
Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily
Website: http://www.oaklandzoo.org
Happy Hollow Park and Zoo
1300 Senter Road
San Jose, CA 95112
Phone: 408-277-3000
Zoo admission = $12.00 for General (2-64); $8 for Seniors
(65 & over)
Parking = $10.00 (park outside on the street for free up near
the baseball park)
Hours: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm daily
Website: http://www.happyhollowparkandzoo.org
VISIT THE TUTORIAL CENTER –
THERE ARE HELPFUL STUDENTS
WHO HAVE ALREADY DONE
THIS PAPER WHO CAN HELP
YOU!!!!!
**** NO REWRITE FOR THIS
PAPER!!!!