Deck 7: Primate Behavior

Question 1

Captive studies __________.

A) involve very large enclosures or even small islands
B) are conducted in the habitat in which the species evolved
C) allow for behavioral experiments to be conducted
D) none of these

Answer 1

allow for behavioral experiments to be conducted

Question 2

Males are the dominant sex in all primate species.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The number of males in a group can be linked to the number of females as well as __________.

A) the number of males available
B) the presence of predators in the species' habitat
C) the amount of available fruit and meat
D) all of these

Answer 3

the presence of predators in the species' habitat

Question 4

Which of the following describes dominance relationships among nonhuman primate males?

A) a rigid pecking order
B) flexible and multifaceted
C) neatly linear
D) there aren't dominance relationships among nonhuman primate species

Question 5

Which of the following techniques for studying primates represents a compromise between controlled study and study in the wild?

A) captive studies
B) semi-free-ranging studies
C) field studies
D) there is no such technique

Question 6

In female philopatric species, __________ form the core of the social the group.

A) females
B) males
C) a polyandrous family
D) a polygynandrous grouping

Question 7

Primatology today benefits from new research tools including __________.

A) DNA analysis to determine paternity
B) hormonal studies using hormones extracted from feces and urine
C) the use of sophisticated sound equipment to study primate communication
D) all of these

Question 8

Observing living primates can teach us about __________.

A) human evolution
B) adaptive radiation
C) convergent evolution
D) all of these

Question 9

Which of the following best describes reproductive asymmetry?

A) Females have a higher reproductive rate than males.
B) Males invest more energy and time in offspring than females.
C) Females tend to be competed for by males.
D) Females are often very concerned about finding a male.

Question 10

Most modern studies of primate behavior are __________.

A) field studies
B) semi-free-ranging studies
C) performed in captivity
D) performed in a laboratory

Question 11

Primate dominance is gained by __________.

A) fighting
B) play
C) contests
D) all of these

Question 12

In a __________, females enjoy a high degree of affiliation.

A) male philopatric
B) polyandrous
C) polygynandrous
D) female philopatric

Question 13

In most primate species, males rarely participate in infant care.

Question 14

A male chimpanzee __________.

A) must take on and dominate all the females before challenging any males
B) must take on and dominate all the males before challenging any females
C) is, by nature of being male, born dominant to all the females
D) may not directly compete with other males

Question 15

Which of the following is a problem associated with captive studies?

A) the primates may hide in dense trees for hours on end
B) enforced proximity leads to higher levels of aggression
C) locating the primates groups can be difficult
D) habituating the primates exposes them to the dangers of poaching

Question 16

Following Jane Goodall, most primatologists spend ___________ in the field.

A) one or two days
B) several months
C) one or two years
D) no time at all

Question 17

In male philopatric social systems __________.

A) males migrate from group to group
B) females show a large degree of competition
C) males living together in the same group are all immigrants from different groups
D) females do not migrate at maturity

Question 18

Jane Goodall revolutionized the study of non-human primates by__________.

A) spending long periods of time in the field
B) conducting hormonal studies using hormones extracted from feces and urine
C) capturing and studying primates in the lab
D) performing genetic analysis on primate populations

Question 19

Field studies are difficult because much primate behavior takes place behind dense foliage and rocks.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT a common focus of primate field studies?

A) social interaction
B) positional behavior
C) ecology
D) behavioral experiments

Question 21

Sexual receptivity signals can be __________.

A) behavioral
B) anatomical
C) physiological
D) all of these

Question 22

Which of the following is true of most nonhuman primates?

A) Females invest less time and energy in reproduction than do males.
B) Females compete for males.
C) Females do not always mate with whichever male wins competitions.
D) Females carrying fetuses or young infants experience lower mortality rates.

Question 23

Female nonhuman primates play little role in choosing mates.

Question 24

It is widely agreed that male primates compete for dominance to gain reproductive access to females.

Question 25

Primatologists choose their study subjects according to each creature's great intrinsic beauty and interest.

Question 26

Group life provides access to mates, but it also means __________.

A) that there is less food for everyone
B) that there is less protection for individuals
C) that the animals are more vulnerable to attack
D) males must compete for mating

Question 27

Females may choose to mate with dominant males because dominant males __________.

A) are often healthier
B) force themselves on the females
C) always form harems
D) are so rare

Question 28

Among female nonhuman primates, dominance __________.

A) may be related to reproductive success
B) may be related to maturation rates
C) may play a role in determining the number of offspring a female may have
D) all of these

Question 29

Gibbons live in monogamous pair bonds and are therefore __________.

A) not dimorphic with respect to body size
B) a solitary species
C) have intense male competition for mates
D) better adapted to life in the forest

Question 30

Sexual swellings may function to establish paternity.

Question 31

More sexually dimorphic primate species tend to __________.

A) have less male competition for mates
B) be polygynous
C) be solitary rather than live in groups
D) live in more dangerous environments

Question 32

The consensus today is that males determine the form that primate social systems take.

Question 33

Females may exploit the food finding abilities of others by __________.

A) fighting and overcoming other females
B) steeling food
C) forming matrilineal clusters
D) avoiding predators

Question 34

Which of the following best summarizes the paradox of sociality?

A) living in groups makes animals more vulnerable to attack
B) living in groups provides access to mates
C) Why would an animal live in a group if the bottom line evolutionarily is individual mating success?
D) all of these

Question 35

The study of nonhuman primates to access information about human evolution is limited by __________.

A) the fact that we are not really primates ourselves
B) the small number of nunhuman primate species living
C) the huge variety and number of living nonhuman primate species
D) the relative lack of similarity between primates and ourselves

Question 36

By confusing paternity, estrus may __________.

A) encourage all the males to avoid the female
B) discourage all the males from being aggressive towards the female and her offspring
C) discourage all the males from mating with the female
D) encourage all the males to mate with non-estrus females

Question 37

Which of the following is a reason living in groups helps primates avoid predation?

A) in larger groups, there are more eyes on the surroundings
B) social groups can mob smaller predators
C) one's individual chances of being attacked are minimized
D) all of these

Question 38

All highly dimorphic primate species live in groups.

Question 39

Estrus swelling only occurs __________.

A) in females
B) when a female is ovulating
C) in the presence of males
D) in monkeys and prosimians, but not in apes

Question 40

Sexual swellings in female primates are likely to have evolved as __________.

A) a result of sexual selection
B) a means of communicating a lack of willingness to mate
C) as a means of inciting males to compete
D) a means of warding off unfit males

Question 41

Prosimians tend to __________.

A) have a solitary social system
B) live in small groups
C) live in large groups
D) have a mixed social system depending on the season

Question 42

Which of the following is not typical of multi-male polygyny?

A) multi-male groups
B) intense competition for estrus females
C) a dominance hierarchy
D) small canine size

Question 43

Some nonhuman primate species maintain both one-male and multi-male groups in the same population.

Question 44

Which form of polygyny may be related to reliance on ripe fruit?

A) polyandry
B) multi-male polygyny
C) fission-fusion polygyny
D) one-male polygyny

Question 45

The majority of haplorhine non-human primate species are polygynous.

Question 46

How do primate polygynandrous groups differ from those of other creatures such as geese?

A) primate polygynandrous groups tend to be smaller
B) primate polygynandrous groups don't last as long
C) primate polygynandrous groups are more complex
D) primate polygynandrous groups only consist of males

Question 47

In India, Paul Newton's study of langurs correlated infanticide with __________.

A) high population density
B) human presence
C) disease
D) none of these

Question 48

Which of the following is typical of monogamous primate species?

A) groups composed of multiple males and females form
B) polygynandrous groups often exist
C) "bachelor" groups sometimes form
D) males don't compete as directly with other males

Question 49

Social monogamy is not necessarily reproductive monogamy.

Question 50

Critics of Hrdy attribute potential instances of langur infanticide to accidental death.

Question 51

Which of the following describes the occurrence of infanticide among primates?

A) most instances of infanticide can be linked to reproductive benefits to the infant-killer
B) all instances of infanticide can be linked to reproductive benefits to the infant-killer
C) most instances of infanticide can be linked to a nearby human presence
D) all instances of infanticide can be linked to a nearby human presence

Question 52

When one female lives in a reproductive unit with multiple males, we say the social system is __________.

A) polygynandrous
B) polygynous
C) monogamous
D) polyandrous

Question 53

Bonobos capture baby monkeys and use them as doll-like playthings before releasing them relatively unharmed.

Question 54

Which of the following typifies a prosimian social system?

A) males live in large groups and compete for solitary females
B) males live alone and use a system of smells and calls to warn other males away
C) females live in small groups and compete for access to solitary males
D) females live in large groups that compete for resources with large groups of males

Question 55

Which of the following is a difference between chimps and bonobos?

A) bonobos use sex as social communication
B) bonobos hut and eat meat, chimps do not
C) chimps engage in less lethal aggression
D) all of these

Question 56

Males in multi-male groups often compete for priority of access to females rather than for sole access to females.

Question 57

A relationship between a male and female living in a pair bond for an extended period of time is called __________.

A) polygyny
B) one-male polygyny
C) monogamy
D) polyandry

Question 58

Which of the following is typical of one-male polygynous groups?

A) one male mates with one female only
B) one male monopolizes multiple females
C) one male lives with one female at a time
D) one male lives with one female yet mates with many

Question 59

According to Hrdy, langur infanticide was the result of __________.

A) human presence
B) starvation
C) competition for reproductive success
D) overcrowding

Question 60

All-male "bachelor" groups may occur in species where __________ exist(s).

A) monogamous families
B) polygynandrous groups
C) one-male polygyny
D) fission-fusion polygyny

Question 61

Why is monogamy best understood as a female reproductive strategy? How does this differ from what is found in species with one-male polygyny?

Question 62

Explain the difference between female and male philopatric social systems. In what ways do these arrangements differ in regards to degrees of affiliation and aggression?

Question 63

Carel van Schaik and his colleagues concluded that __________ were important factors that molded sociality in primates.

A) predation and infanticide
B) feeding competition and predation
C) mate and feeding competition
D) predation and mating competition

Question 64

In the early years of primatology, many primatologists found a strong correlation between primate behavior and __________.

A) average body size
B) brain size
C) ecology
D) all of these

Question 65

Our perception of bonobo behavior may be tainted by the fact that __________.

A) bonobos are actually the same species as chimps
B) bonobos are more aggressive and therefore harder to study safely
C) most bonobo studies have been done in captive settings
D) bonobos live solitary lives and are therefore hard to find

Question 66

What is the "paradox of sociality"? Explain the benefits to anthropoids living in groups. What is the downside of group living?

Question 67

Which of the following is true of polyandry?

A) it usually involves multi-female groups
B) it is the most common nonhuman primate social system
C) dominant males father most of the children
D) all of these

Question 68

List and explain the three methods for studying primates. What are the benefits and problems associated with each method?

Question 69

After observing bonobos in the wild it appears that __________.

A) bonobos may not have longer estrus periods than chimps
B) bonobos may not walk upright more than chimps
C) bonobos may eat and share meat
D) all of these

Question 70

Compare the amount of male aggression in three different social systems. How might aggression and infanticide be related to male access to females?

Question 71

Richard Wrangham correlates __________ and female-philopatric groups.

A) predation
B) mate competition
C) feeding competition
D) infanticide

Question 72

Primate ecologists agree that mate competition is the most important factor in shaping primate societies.

Question 73

Why is it difficult to trace the relationship between ecology and primate behavior?

A) because primate anatomy and behavior are not at all related to ecology
B) because all living primates live in the same types of environments and eat the same foods
C) because a species may not currently occupy the environment in which it evolved
D) because primates are too reliant on culture