Primate Vocabulary

Question 1

New World

Answer 1

North, Central, and South America

Question 2

dominance

Answer 2

the ability to intimidate others

Question 3

control animal

Answer 3

an animal that performs the set of roles associated with alpha status in macaques

Question 4

avoidance

Answer 4

voluntary surrender of space or possessions, ignored by the reciever

Question 5

primiparous

Answer 5

a female who has had only one infant

Question 6

coalition

Answer 6

alliance of several animals for joint action

Question 7

tumescence

Answer 7

swelling

Question 8

branch shake

Answer 8

a violent display in which the actor calls attention to himself by vigorously shaking a tree limb or cage wall

Question 9

role

Answer 9

the performance of an interrelated, predictable set of behaviors that appear to have functional organization

Question 10

headbob

Answer 10

up and down movement of head

Question 11

estrous cycle

Answer 11

anatomical, behavioral, and endocrine changes associated with cyclic changes in reproductive status

Question 12

scent-marking

Answer 12

deposition of odoriferous substances on an object or animal

Question 13

supplantation

Answer 13

Forceful taking of another animal’s possessions or space. Preferable to a term displacement, which has alternative meanings.

Question 14

sib clusters

Answer 14

brothers and sisters

Question 15

Old World

Answer 15

Europe, Africa, and Asia

Question 16

breeding season

Answer 16

the time of year when subject animals are sexually active

Question 17

oikia

Answer 17

Japanese term equivalent to troop. A stable, organized group of primates.

Question 18

sexual dimorphism

Answer 18

the differences between male and female of a particular species

Question 19

lipsmack

Answer 19

rapid opening and closing of the mouth

Question 20

Alpha male

Answer 20

the most dominant adult male in a rhesus group

Question 21

ischial callosities

Answer 21

thick, colored callous pads overlying the ischial tuberosities (buttocks) in some anthropoids

Question 22

cheek pouches

Answer 22

an extension of the oral cavity produced by the herniation of the buccinator muscles

Question 23

present

Answer 23

to offer a part of one’s body to another animal

Question 24

forebob

Answer 24

up and down movement of the head and shoulders

Question 25

troop

Answer 25

Stable group that represents the largest tightly organized unit of a primate society. Variously referred to as a clan, band, or a family.

Question 26

terrestrial

Answer 26

living on the ground

Question 27

parallel play

Answer 27

playing alongside, but not with, another animal

Question 28

conspecifics

Answer 28

members of the same species

Question 29

peripheral

Answer 29

On the margins or outlying areas of the troop. The implicit contrast is with central, which refers to the most conspicuous site of social activity, a focus around which other animals gravitate.

Question 30

bounce

Answer 30

vigorous up and down movement of the entire body as a specific display

Question 31

uterine group

Answer 31

a mother and her offspring

Question 32

territory

Answer 32

an area (usually within a home range) to which a troop has exclusive claims, often established by defending against intruders

Question 33

display

Answer 33

stereotyped series of motor acts and body alterations that has emotional and communicative functions

Question 34

nulliparous

Answer 34

a female who has never given birth

Question 35

subordinates

Answer 35

the loser of a social conflict

Question 36

sexual skin

Answer 36

skin patch found in some primates (usually female), which exhibits color or physical changes that reflect reproductive status

Question 37

Agnostic

Answer 37

combative

Question 38

null hypothesis

Answer 38

a proposal of no difference or no effect

Question 39

Adaptation

Answer 39

adjustment of a species to a particular environment

Question 40

tactile

Answer 40

relation to the sense of touch

Question 41

ontogeny

Answer 41

development and growth of an individual (contrasts with phylogeny, the evolutionary inheritance from an individual's ancestry).

Question 42

enlist

Answer 42

an attempt by an animal to acquire the support of a second animal against a third

Question 43

crouch

Answer 43

a defensive or subordinate quadrupedal posture with body and legs partly flexed

Question 44

pharamone

Answer 44

chemical substances produced by an animal, which acts as a signal in communication

Question 45

rank

Answer 45

order position in a status hiarachy

Question 46

stereotypy

Answer 46

persistent repetition of senseless acts or movements

Question 47

gestation

Answer 47

period of prenatal development between conception and birth

Question 48

focal animal

Answer 48

the subject animal on which the observer concentrates his attention

Question 49

home range

Answer 49

area utilized by a troop

Question 50

stereotyped

Answer 50

consistent in form

Question 51

status hierarchy

Answer 51

the stable organization of dominance relationships of habitual patterns of conflict resolution among members of a group

Question 52

brachiation

Answer 52

locomotion by arm-swinging

Question 53

ethology

Answer 53

the study of animal behavior