Primate behavior is significantly influenced by their habitat, especially within the confines of ... more Primate behavior is significantly influenced by their habitat, especially within the confines of a zoo environment. The effects of captivity on a primate’s locomotion are particularly important when determining whether a habitat will benefit the general welfare and health of the primate in captivity. The question proposed is whether captivity affects the locomotion patterns of gibbons in captivity, and whether they are more terrestrial than they are arboreal. The methodology for our study was focal observation of two siamang subjects as well as western lowland gorillas from the San Diego Zoo, using the terrestrial data gathered from the gorillas to then compare with siamangs in an effort to better understand the thresholds between terrestrial and arboreal locomotion amongst primates. We also used wild siamang data to determine whether captivity truly affected their locomotor behavior. We found that siamangs, although somewhat arboreal, were mostly terrestrial throughout the observation period, a departure from their natural behaviors. The gorilla data, however, showed that the siamangs were more arboreal than their gorilla cousins. This study suggests that the habitat for siamangs at the San Diego Zoo isn’t as enriching as it could be and could use improvements, such as simulations of foliated canopies, to increase the activity of their captive siamangs.
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