ALL ABOUT PRIMATES! Gorilla World and Jungle Trails WHAT IS A PRIMATE? Primates are a taxonomical Order of related species that fall under the Class Mammalia Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates From here primates tend to fall into 3 major categories THE THREE PRIMATE CATEGORIES Prosimians Monkeys Apes PROSIMIANS Prosimians represent the more “primitive” of primates General Characteristics: Small Size Nocturnal Well-developed sense of smell Relatively Solitary Vertical Clingers and Leapers This group includes all lemurs, galagos, lorises, and tarsiers MONKEYS Monkeys are the most geographically diverse category of primates, spanning throughout South and Central America, Africa, Asia, and even one location in Europe General Characteristics Long Tails Diurnal (one exception) Increased sense of sight More complex social structures Increased Intelligence Quadrupedal Monkeys are classified as either New World or Old World NEW WORLD VS. OLD WORLD MONKEYS New World Monkeys span Old World Monkeys span throughout Central and throughout Europe, Africa, and South America. Asia. Characteristics: Round, flat Characteristics: Narrow, nostrils. Smaller in size. downward nostrils. Larger in Exclusively arboreal. Some size. Some terrestrial. Sitting have prehensile tails. pads, Some have cheek pouches. APES Apes are often known as the most “advanced” group of primates General Characteristics No Tail Large in size Broad Chests Move through brachiation High intelligence Dependence on learning and tool use This group includes gibbons, siamangs, orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and humans WHAT CONNECTS ALL PRIMATES? While a lot of diversity exists among the living primates, there are some very unique characteristics that are shared by almost all of the primate species Large Brain Size Prehensile Hands and Opposable Thumbs Stereoscopic/binocular vision Fingernails Long Life History Complex Social Structures Let’s look at these in more depth! LARGE BRAIN SIZE OPPOSABLE THUMBS Compared to other Opposable thumbs are one of the mammals, most primates most defining features of primates. have a large brain relative Thumbs help them to manipulate to their body size small and complex objects BINOCULAR VISION FINGERNAILS Most primates have more Most primates have nails on their forward-facing eyes, this allow fingers and toes as opposed to for increased depth perception. claws. These nails help to protect That’s important when you live the digits, and allow for a high up in the canopies! heightened sense of touch. Vs. LONG LIFE HISTORY Given their size, primates have an extended life history compared to other Newborn 2 years mammals. They grow slowly, have long dependence on their parents, mature later, and live longer life spans. Newborn 2 years COMPLEX SOCIAL STRUCTURES Most primates live in large social groups. Living in groups with other individuals facilitates the formation of close bonds and friendships. These bonds help to protect primates from danger. Group living can also bring about competition and conflict, complex hierarchies are often established to mediate this tension. PRIMATES AT THE CINCINNATI ZOO! We have A LOT of species, but we will focus on these four! GORILLA There are two recognized species of gorilla, with a total of four sub-species Only one sub-species, the Western Lowland Gorilla, are housed in AZA facilities GORILLA RANGE All gorilla sub-species are found dispersed throughout central Africa Cross River: lowland montane forests and rainforests of Cameroon and Nigeria Western Lowland: rainforest and swamp forests of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo Mountain: mountains forest of Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda Eastern Lowland: lowland forests of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo GORILLA DIET Gorillas are largely vegetarians, most of their diet consists of leaves, stems, shoots, bamboo, wild celery, fruit, and occasionally termite larvae The Western Lowland Gorilla tends to be more frugivorous than the other sub-species Recent research has shown that gorillas “hum” and “sing” while eating GORILLA SOCIAL STRUCTURE Gorillas live in polygynous groups, meaning there is one dominant male, the silver back, and multiple females and their offspring. Both male and female gorillas will leave their natal groups when they reach maturity. Males will seek females to create their own troops, while females seek a male who will protect them and their offspring. Male gorillas are typically double the size of females, this is due to the intense competition amongst the male gorillas to protect their females Males: ~400 lbs Females: ~200 lbs GORILLA BEHAVIOR Despite their portrayal in popular media and their massive size, gorillas tend to be very peaceful animals. However, male gorillas are fiercely protective over their troop. While gorillas in human care have shown the ability to create and use tools, only a few gorillas has been witnessed using tools in the wild… so far! Much of what we know about wild gorilla behavior comes from the research of Dian Fossey and the Mountain Gorillas she habituated. These troops are still researched today! GORILLA CONSERVATION Currently, all gorilla species are Ecotourism is one solution that has considered to be Critically been implemented with the Mountain Endangered. This is largely due to Gorillas. The money made goes right habitat loss, disease, poaching, and back into funding and maintaining the civil unrest. It is estimated that as parks as well as the disadvantaged few as 105,000 exist in the wild. local communities. GORILLAS IN ZOOS In North America, there are 51 AZA institutions that house gorillas. This represents around 350 individuals, who are all managed through a Species Survival Plan to ensure the population remains healthy and genetically diverse. Zoos provide the unique opportunity for guests to get Close Enough To Care with these animals and inspire conservation actions! Our Gorillas: Troop 1: Jomo, Samantha, Mlinzi, Gladys, Asha, Mondika, Anju, Elle Troop 2: Mshindi, Mara, Chewie Cincinnati Zoo has had 50 gorilla births since the 1970’s ORANGUTAN As of 2017, there are three recognized species of orangutans Tapanuli: Pongo tapanuliensis Bornean: Pongo pygmaeus Sumatran: Pongo abelii Both the Bornean and Sumatran species can be found in zoos, at the Cincinnati Zoo we house two Sumatran Orangutans ORANGUTAN RANGE All orangutans species are found throughout two islands in Indonesia, Borneo and Sumatra Sumatran: rainforest of Northern Sumatra Bornean: lowland rainforests, swamp and mountain forests of Borneo Tapanuli: isolated forest of Northern Sumatra ORANGUTAN DIET Orangutans are primarily fruit eaters, making them an important seed dispersers in their habitats. When fruit is scarce, orangutans will also consume flowers, insects, bark, leaves, eggs, and occasionally small mammals Orangutans are especially adapted to store fat to help them survive the seasonal fluctuation of fruit availability ORANGUTAN SOCIAL STRUCTURE Unique amongst the great apes, orangutans are primarily solitary. The basic social unit consist of an adult female and their dependent offspring. Males hold large territories that overlap multiple females Orangutans, while solitary, are still social. Mothers are known to come together in times when fruit is plenty. They will maintain social relationships over long periods of time Males have two mature morphs: Flanged Un-flanged ORANGUTAN BEHAVIOR Orangutans are the largest arboreal mammal in the world, they practice quadrumanous locomotion and use their large weight to sway the trees. After chimpanzees, orangutans have the most diverse tool culture of all non- human primates. Much of what we know about orangutans comes from the research of Birute Galdikas. Today, this research continues at Camp Leakey in Borneo! ORANGUTAN CONSERVATION Currently, orangutans are considered to be Critically Endangered. It is estimated that around 120,000 individuals exist in the wild. The Tapanuli orangutan is the most endangered great ape, with a population of only 800. Deforestation rates in Borneo and Sumatra are some of the worst on the entire planet. Much of this is due to the creation of palm oil plantations. Sustainable palm oil production helps to conserve orangutan habitat. Today, around 20% of all palm oil production is certified sustainable by the RSPO. ORANGUTANS IN ZOOS Throughout North America, 55 AZA institutions house orangutans, representing 216 individuals. All of these individuals are managed through a SSP. Henry Alex LION TAMARINS Tamarins are a family of small monkeys found throughout the rainforests of South America. The lion tamarins make up four of these species Golden-headed Lion Tamarin Golden Lion Tamarin Black Lion Tamarin Black-faced Lion Tamarin Leontopithecus chrysomelas Leontopithecus rosalia Leontopithecus chrysopygus Leontopithecus caissara At the Cincinnati Zoo, we have two Golden-headed Lion tamarins LION TAMARIN RANGE All lion tamarin species are found throughout the South- Eastern coastal regions of Brazil Golden-headed: forests of the Bahia state Golden: lowland coastal regions of Rio de Janeiro Black: forest patches of Sao Paulo Black-faced: costal regions of Paraná LION TAMARIN DIET Tamarins eat a wide variety of foods such as fruits, flowers, nectar, tree sap (exudate), insects, and small vertebrates. Modified claws, instead of nails, help tamarins to cling vertically to the sides of trees. Lion tamarins have