Now that you have practiced primate observation in class with the baboon films, your project assignment for this week is to do it for real, at the Woodland Park Zoo.  If there is some reason that it is more convenient for you to go to Point Defiance or some other zoo, you may do so with the instructor's or a TA's permission only.

To do the observation, choose one species of primate at the Woodland Park Zoo, and note down in section one of the worksheet the common name, the scientific genus and species name, and a brief description of the habitat in which these animals are kept at the WPZ.  Choose a species that you think would have some interesting behaviors while you are there; if the gorillas aren't doing much, choose some other primate.

Then choose two animals in the group to be the focus of your observation.  You should choose two of the following three: an adult female, an adult male, and an immature individual.  Note down in section 2 of the worksheet the approximate physical characteristics of each individual: estimated length, estimated weight (just guess; the proportions are more important than the absolute values) and color.

Now you are ready to begin your behavioral observations.  You should observe each animal for one to two minutes by your watch, at 5 different times during your stay.  How far apart these times are depends on how fast you want to work, but you should complete the observations in between a
half hour and an hour.   Record in sections 3/A1-A5 the observations of animal A; record in sections 3/B1-B5 the observations of animal B.  You can alternate animals A and B if you want, or you can do five observations on one and then five on the other, or any combination.

After you have finished your observations, use your observation data to answer the questions in section 4 of the worksheet.  Don't be afraid to generalize from your data; you can't learn everything about these animals in a half hour--it took Jane Goodall decades to learn some important
things about chimpanzees.  But do make sure your answers are consistent with your observational data.

Bring two copies of the completed worksheet to your Thursday or Friday section; you will be asked to hand one copy in as you enter, and keep the other copy with you for class discussion.