When I visited the Santa Barbara Zoo on my birthday June 13th, I couldn’t be more excited to spend my birthday observing the two primates: gibbons and gorillas. These primate species are closely related to humans. They are one of the most interesting in the ape family. It’s amazing how intrigued I was by their interactions with one another. Not only was I amazed by their complex social structures, but that they hold so many similar characteristics to human beings. I sat there observing each of them for about 15 minutes.
Two adult gibbons and two adult gorillas on the exhibit. I believe if we observe behavioral patterns in apes, we can better understand where some of our own behaviors come from. The first primate I observed were the two female gibbons in the morning. Gibbons are the smallest members of the ape family. Gibbons are found in Southeast Asia. They like to spend their time on top of trees. Their bodies were lightly build with long arms and legs.
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Both gibbons were swinging and climbing on the trees without slowing down. After done swinging, they started to groom each other. I noticed them communicating by making loud calls towards one another. Their diet consists of eating leaves and fruit. The second primate I observed were the two male gorillas in the afternoon. Gorillas are the most powerful of the ape family. Unfortunately, one of them were sleeping for almost the entire time in the lower part of the exhibit.
He was sleeping towards the glass with his large hands resting on his stomach area. Gorilla are found in Africa. The second gorilla was awake and he was sitting on grass area, a little slouched, crossed legged picking at the leaves and inserting it in his mouth. He seemed bored and very isolated possibly because his friend was sleeping. Gorillas diet consist of eating leaves from trees and plants.
In conclusion, after observing gibbons and gorillas, I’ve gained an insight into some behavior patterns coming from the ape family and human behaviors
