Habitat Walk

The tropical rain forest consists of four layers: shrub, under story, middle story and upper story. Few primates live in the upper story: to do so they must leap from crown to crown, which only a few primates are physically suited. The majority of the primates inhabit the middle and under stories. It is at those levels that primates are able to find enough food, and are able to travel without an excessive amount of leaping.

Arboreal primates (tree dwellers), are found in two types of vegetation: primary and secondary forests. The primary forest is untouched by humans, while the secondary forest has been used by humans for agriculture and selective logging. Terrestrial primates, (ground dwellers), such as the baboon, are found in tropical grasslands and savannas.

Objective:

Students will become familiar with the differences in habitat of various species of primates and the niches they fill.

Procedure:

Walk along a known park (with a variety of vegetative stratification layers: along the way, discuss:

1. Where primates live
      a. grassy areas (baboon)
      b. under story (gorilla)
      c. middle story (tamarin)
      d. upper story (colobus monkey)

2. What they might eat

3. What predators they might encounter