1. Los Angeles Zoo
Project
CLARISSA SERRANO
Anthropology 101
Prof. Wolfe

2. General Observations:
There are many primate characteristics that distinguish
themselves from one another.
I will be comparing characteristics between Old World
Primates and New World Primates

3. Old World Primates
There were many Old World Primates
present at the L.A Zoo including :
Chimpanzees, Gorillas, Moustached
Guenon, Francois Langur, Siamang,
and the Orangutan ( unfortunately the
Orangutan exhibit was closed )
 Old World Monkeys are medium
to large size.
 Scientific name for OWM is
Catarrhines= Narrow Nosed
 Non-grasping tails
 Ischial Callosities= Padding on the
butt
 Varied habitat ( from rainforest to
desert)
 Opposable thumbs/ Briachiation
 Knuckle Walking
 Less Monogamous

4. Old World Monkey Observations
• Brachiation: Movement of the arms.
Seen in only Old Word Primates
• SIAMANG- The largest of the
Gibbons
• Found in mountains and forests of
Malaysia and Sumatra
• Can be extremely vocal, can be heard
up to 2.5 miles (4km)

5. New World Primates:
There were many New World Primates
including: the Buff-Cheeked Gibbon,
Squirrel Monkey, Geoffroy’s Black-
Handed Spider Monkey, and the
Cotton top Tamarin.
 Small to medium size primates
 Scientific name for NWM is
Platyrrhini= Flat Nose
 Prehensile tail
 Arboreal= Primary tree dwellers
 Thumb sits in line with other
fingers ( some NWM have claws to
help grasp)
 Semi-Brachiation
 Monogamous pair ponds

6. New World Monkey Observations
• New World Monkeys have
prehensile tails that that help
them navigate through the
forest.
• They have claws to help grasp
on trees and hunt insects
• Arboreal

7. Sexual Dimorphism and Dichromatism
Sexual Dimorphism: Difference in body size
between male and female
 Gorilla males is twice as big as females.
Sexual Dichromatism: Difference in
color between male and female

8. 30min Observation
I stuck around the
chimpanzee exhibit and
observed many primate
behaviors including
aggressiveness, threat
gestures, allogrooming,
mother infant activities.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to
capture the aggressive
behavior on film . What I saw
was a male chimp exerting his
dominance. He was
expressing aggressive
behavior by throwing
pinecones.
I also saw displays of affection
towards mother and infant
and plenty of grooming

9. Allogrooming

10. 30 min. Observation con.t
Mother-Infant Bonding Chimp at an up right position

11. Animal Comparisons
Gorilla:
• Strongest and Largest of the Old
World Primates
• No tail
• One male-multiple female
dynamic (Male dominant)
• Primarily on ground
Francois Langer:
• The Langer is on the smaller side
of Old World Primates.
• Long tail (used for balance)
• One male- multiple female
dynamic ( Male dominant)
• Arboreal

12. Human Interactions
Gorilla doesn’t seem to be enjoying the
company of human children. Children
were tapping on the glass trying to get
Gorillas attention. As you see gorilla
turned his back to society.
Although Giraffes are not primates, I
wanted to point out other human-animal
interactions I encountered at the zoo. In
the picture below, you see people feeding
leaves to the giraffe.