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Species: Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) and/or Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)

Use: General behavior and social proximity

Authors: S. Ross, K. Lukas: Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL

Methods: Continuous focal follow (10-minute sessions)

Publications/Presentations: Ross, S.K. and K.E. Lukas. Exhibit Use by Great Apes as part of a Post-occupancy Evaluation.  American Journal of Primatology, 54(1): 31, 2001.

Channel 1: Behavior

A wide range of behaviors will be collected using the following set of broad categories.  Many behaviors will have modifiers such as recording the recipient of social play; these modifiers are listed after the primary behavior.  In cases where the modifier is a recipient or actor animal, the interacting animal code will be entered as the modifier.  All behaviors are events with durations except when noted.

Abnormal and tension-related behaviors

Coprophagy (CO) Ð ingestion of feces.

Regurgitation/Reingestion (RR) - deliberate regurgitation accomplished by various methods including lowering head to the ground, bobbing head, or more subtle techniques.  The vomitus may be retained within the mouth or expelled into hand or substrate before being reingested.

Hair Pluck (HP) Ð (recipient modifier) - pulling out own or another animal's hair; may be ingested. 

Idiosyncratic movement or posture (IM) sustained movement of body, such as rocking or head-bobbing, with a definitive repetitive pattern.

Idiosyncratic body manipulation (IB) repeated or sustained manipulation of a specific area of own body, such as eye-poking, self-patting or ear-covering.

Scratch (SC) raking of fingernails over skin; may be smaller movements of hand, or larger sweeping scratching involving arm movement.

Yawn (YA) - involuntary wide opening of the mouth accompanied by deep inhalation.

Other Abnormal (OA) Ð Abnormal behaviors not categorized above.  May include urophagy or pacing.

Prosocial behaviors (with conspecifics)

Social groom (SG) (recipient modifier) - Picking through hair or at skin of another individual and removing debris with hands and/or mouth.  Does not include pulling hair. 

Receive groom (RG) (actor modifier) Receiving social groom (see above)

Social play (SP) (partner modifier) - Non-aggressive interactions involving two or more animals.  Never accompanied by pilo-erection or agonism; may be accompanied by play-face and/or laughing.  Includes rough-and-tumble play (fast-paced, vigorous locomotion, wrestling, hitting, pulling, chasing, biting, etc.), quiet play (slower-paced, gentle-tickling, finger and toe manipulation, etc.) and also includes social play initiation.

Sexual examination (SX) (recipient modifier) - visual, oral or manual inspection of the ano-genital region of another individual or self.  This should not be confused with grooming or manipulation of the anus to obtain feces.

Receive sexual examination (RX) (actor modifier) Receiving sexual examination (see above)

Sexual present (PR) (recipient modifier) - animal’s posture varies from slight flexion of the arms or turning of the rump toward another to an extreme crouch will all four limbs folded under it, so it is close to the ground.  Can occur in response to a solicit from another individual, or without solicitation.  Does NOT occur in response to any agonistic behavior.

Receive sexual present (RP) (actor modifier) Receiving sexual present (see above).

Mount/Mount-thrust/Copulation (MT) (partner modifier) Includes any component of a series of sexual behaviors including mounting, being mounted, thrusting, being thrust-mounted, and complete copulation.  Ventral surface of one animal may be in contact with dorsal surface of another briefly or for extended period.  May occur with or without full penetration.  Also includes unsuccessful copulations due to incorrect orientation or unreceptive partner.

Stare (ST)  (recipient modifier)Ð Individual is within one meter of a conspecific and gazes at that individual for at least 3 seconds.

Nurse (NR) Ð Individual suckles at breast of mother or other adult female.

Other Prosocial (PS) (recipient modifier) Ð Individual engages in non-agonistic social behavior not defined elsewhere in the ethogram.  For example: carrying conspecifics or lifting infants.

 

Agonistic (with conspecifics)

Contact aggression (CA) Ð (recipient modifier) Aggressive behaviors that must involve some physical contact between individuals.  Includes, wrestling, lunge hit, grab, bite, thrown, and claw.  May include pilo-erection.

Receive contact aggression (RC) Ð (actor modifier) Receiving any of the above behaviors.

Display (DP) Ð Aggressive behavior without any clear and identifiable recipient.  May include pilo-erection, and such behaviors as beating on or moving inanimate objects, stomping, slapping, swaying, hooting, chest-beat, or running.  If these behaviors are directed towards an individual, score as non-contact aggression (NC).

Non-contact aggression (NC) (recipient modifier) Aggressive behaviors directed to another individual, that do not include any physical contact.  Includes lunge, rush, and threats. 

Receive non-contact aggression (RN) (actor modifier) Receiving any of the above non-contact aggression behaviors

Submission (SB) - Includes crouching, bobbing, fleeing, avoiding, fear grimacing, bared teeth screaming and pant grunting.

Solitary

Self-directed (SF) - picking through own hair or skin and removing debris with hand and/or mouth.  Does not include pulling hair or scratching.

Masturbation (MB) - using a body part, object, or part of the cage to stimulate own genitals.  Be sure to separate this from grooming of the genitals or manipulation of the genitals to obtain feces.

Solitary play (PA) - Individual may play quietly by itself with hands, fingers and toes, other body parts, or an object may be handled and be the focus of play.  The individual may be tossing, holding, wearing, carrying, chewing or making other contact with the object while making playful movements.  May be either boisterous or quiet.  May also include active play involving swing, dangling, leaping, somersaults, running, gamboling, pirouetting and bouncing.  Vigorous locomotion or rotation of the whole body or its parts is typical.

Feed/Forage (FF) Ð Individual is handling, manipulating or ingesting food items such as primate chow, biscuits, fruits, vegetables, natural vegetation, or enrichment.  Includes foraging through bedding or other materials in search of desired food items.

Drink (DK) Ð Individual is ingesting water.  May be from nipple lixit, ground source, waterfall or standing water pool.  Does not include ingestion of urine.

Horizontal locomotion (HL) Ð Individual changes location in horizontal space by walking, running, crawling, etc.  The change in location must be greater than one body length.

Vertical locomotion (VL) Ð Individual changes location in vertical space by climbing, sliding, jumping, etc.  The change in location must be greater than one body height.

Object examination/manipulation (OE) Individual visually examines or manipulates various non-food enrichment items (such as paper, cardboard, towels, etc), elements of the environmental structures (such as walls, floor, cage mesh, windows or ropes), or bedding material (such as hay or straw).  Manipulation of food items is scored as feed/forage (FF), unless those food items are clearly not being ingested (ie. manipulating banana peel without eating it).  May include picking up, pushing, examining, picking at, licking, scratching, pulling, ripping, and/or shaking.

Attention to staff and others in core/service area (AS) - Individual maintains gaze directed towards member of the carestaff.  Must be maintained for longer than 3 seconds.  Ape must be within 1 meter of the mesh and human must be within 2 meters of the exhibit space.   May include attention to observer, such as begging or play soliciting.  Core area includes service area on 3^rd floor.

Attention to public and others in public area (AP) - Individual maintains gaze directed towards member of the public.  Must be maintained for longer than 3 seconds.  Ape must be within 1 meter of the glass/public barrier.  If keeper or staff is in the public area and is the object of attention, score as this behavior (AP).

Attention to core/service area (AC) - Individual maintains gaze directed towards area of building without specific person in view.  Must be maintained for longer than 3 seconds. 

Ape must be within 1 meter of the mesh.  Core area includes service area on 3^rd floor.

Supplant (SU) (recipient modifier) Ð Individual approaches a conspecific and replaces that individual within one meter of the original location.  The supplanted individual moves away to allow the focal to take over that location.

Receive Supplant (RS) (actor modifier) Individual moves away from a conspecific to allow them to take over their former location.  See above definition.

Inactive/Sleep (IN) Ð Individual is not moving and not active in any other behaviors listed.  Eyes may be open or closed.

Out of view (OV) Ð IndividualÕs behavior is not able to be identified due to visual obstruction.