Higher Biology Unit 3 3 6 Primate Behaviour

Higher Biology Unit 3 3. 6 - Primate Behaviour

Primates • Primates are a group of placental mammals • They include lemurs, monkeys apes and humans

Parental Care • Primates invest a long time in parental care for a small number of offspring • Primate offspring are almost helpless when they are first born • During the time of parental care the parents feed their young, keep them clean, protect them from extremes of temperature, transport them and defend them from predators

Parental Care • A long period of parental care allows for primates to learn complex social behaviours required for survival • These behaviours include foraging, hunting and recognising danger.

Primate Language • Primates learn how to communicate within their social group using their own language • This language consists of sounds and gestures used to express thoughts and feelings

Primate Play • During social play with other juveniles primate practise adult social behaviour • They chase or flee from companions, playfight and test their own physical limits • These behaviours are exaggerated so that other members recognise it as harmless • This allows them to learn skills necessary for survival as adults

Reducing Conflict • When primates find themselves competing for resources they are likely to engage in ritualistic displays rather than aggressive fighting • This reduces the likelihood of serious injury and increases their survival chances

Gorilla Conflict Gorillas engage in threat displays by standing on their hind legs, beating their chests, baring their teeth and growling. This type of display makes them appear larger and more threatening. Eventually one of the gorillas will concede defeat and display appeasement behaviours.

Appeasement • Primates engage in appeasement behaviour to demonstrate that they accept another animal as dominant • This is the opposite of a threat ritual and involves the individual making themselves look as small and unthreatening as possible

Grooming Some primates such as chimpanzees use grooming as a way to reduce tension within the group. This is a form of reciprocal altruism as the chimps pick fleas and mites from each other’s bodies. It is also used as a reconciliation method after a fight.

Appeasement • Primates can use facial expressions and body language as forms of appeasement • A primate closing its eyes during a struggle with another is indicating that it accepts it has been dominated and will give up the struggle • Lower chimpanzee males greet a dominant male by making a series of quick bows and lowering themselves enough to be able to look up respectfully • Female chimpanzees will present themselves sexually to a dominant male to appease him

Social Structure • Within a primate society a social hierarchy exists • Each individual has their place within the group which they accept • Individuals tend to avoid challenging members of the group that are a higher rank • This social hierarchy is very complex and liable to change

Social Structure • The ecological niches occupied by primates can vary greatly • Underlying the success of their survival in these different niches is the fact that they belong to social groups • Group sizes between species of primates vary greatly and can change depending upon predator pressures and availability of resources • By living in social groups and hunting and feeding cooperatively primates increase their chances of survival

Resources • Each group of primates has a home range • This is an area in which it spends much of its time looking for food or somewhere to sleep • The size of the range is dependent upon the distribution of the animal’s preferred food • Leaf eating primates can survive in a smaller home range than fruit eaters

Taxonomy • Primates of the same taxonomic group tend to occupy similar niches and employ a similar social structure • The more distantly related primates are the more different their niches are likely to be

For no other reason than it’s a baby gorilla