Sacramento Zoo Observation

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Introduction I visited the Sacramento Zoo during the afternoon of April 21, 2017. The weather was wonderful, sunny, warm, and there was a slight breeze. It got a bit more breezy the longer I was there. Visiting the zoo to observe primates allowed me to become a little more aware of how primatologists study primates. Even though I’ve been to many different zoos several different times, I never realized how many primates were associated with the zoos, as well as the variety of primates in the zoos. The Sacramento Zoo has eight different primates, all in different classifications, superfamilies, or subfamilies. While observing the Chimpanzees, White-Handed Gibbon, Mongoose Lemur, White-Faced Saki, and the Wolf’s Guenon I could see the differences …show more content…

They have wide chests and their arms are longer than their legs. Chimpanzees’ hands have four long fingers plus an opposable thumb. Their feet have five toes which includes an opposable big toe. Chimpanzees’ can grasp things with both their hands and their feet. Male chimpanzees are larger than female chimpanzees and are slightly sexually dimorphic. Chimpanzees are quadrupeds that typically walk using the soles of feet and the knuckles of their hands. They sometimes walk upright only when they need to use their arms to carry things but this is a rare occurrence. Chimps are also good at brachiating and climbing trees which is where they spend most of their time even when they sleep. Their dental formula is 2.1.2.3. Chimpanzees’ have y5/x4 molars, making them frugivores, and a diastema to fit their upper canines. Their diet includes fruit, leaves, flowers, seeds, smaller mammals, birds, insects, and grubs. When chimps aren’t resting, they can be very active. I enjoyed watching the Chimpanzees’ swing on the ropes and climb up and down the trees. Chimpanzees are …show more content…

They have small heads and body’s with a long lumbar region and narrow chest. Saki’s are arboreal quadrupeds with their arms and legs equal in length. They have a long olecranon process to be able to lock their joints so that their limbs can hold equal weight. White-Faced Sakis have long prehensile tails and long phalanges on their hands and feet for better travel and balance in the trees. A Saki’s dental formula is 2.1.3.3 with triangular molars meaning they are insectivores. They are also known as "flying monkeys" because they are able to leap 30 feet between tree branches. I already knew they could leap so I was hoping to see that when I observed it, but it was resting when I was there. They are sexually dimorphic due to color. White-Faced Sakis are vulnerable to being

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