Name:___________________________
Student ID No. ____________________
1. Select one of the 3 videos/papers below for your analysis. In groups you will then watch the video of your choice in the lecture hall or at the Bailey/Howe library media center (downstairs).
2. You can discuss the answers to the questions in your group after previewing the video. You may want to see the video again on your own during the weekend.
3. The first 2-3 questions will relate to factual information in the video: species and families covered, geographic locations etc. 3-4 Questions will relate to the mammalian topics covered in the video (behavior, ecology, form and function etc.). 3-4 question will relate the video to one paper on reserve, or to the lecture and reading material you already know.
4. You should do the final write-up of your findings on your own (no more than 3-5 double-spaced pages!!). Cite all published sources used, including the video, in the style of the Journal of Mammalogy.
5. Turn in your paper by Monday noon
or earlier. Don't forget your name and student ID number.
Video: National
Geographic Society, and Wolper Productions. 1989. Strange
creature of the Night (part on bats) Vestron
Video, Stamford, CT. VHS Videorecording. UVM Call #
VID 3532
Article: Wilkinson, G. S. 1990. Food sharing in Vampire bats. Scientific American, 262:76-82. (on electronic reserve, and hardcopy in lab)
Questions:
1. (10 pts). Briefly summarize the information provided in the video about the bat species discussed and where they are found.
2. (5 pts). Why were electrodes implanted in bats in Dr. Novak's lab?
3. (10 pts) What unique discovery did Webster and Nachtigall make in their film studies and how exactly was the result obtained?
4. (10 pts) . How do vampire bats feed on warm-blooded animals? What are the major health risks of vampire attacks for domestic life stock?
5. (10 pts). Discuss the pros and cons of "pest control" as applied to vampire bats in the video.
6. (10 pts) How did Mitchell and Burns in the film observe vampire bats and how did Wilkinson and his assistants observe this species?
7. (15 pts) How does Wilkinson (1990) explain what looks like true altruistic behavior in vampire bats sharing food?
8. (10 pts) How did Wilkinson test if reciprocal altruism occurs in vampires?
9. (10 pts) Why would food sharing in vampires be favored by natural selection?
10. (10 pts) How would you evaluate
the way vampires are portrayed in the video as compared to the article?
Video: Boesch, C., and H. Boesch-Achermann.
1991. The nutcracking chimpanzees of Tai forest. Penn State Media
Sales, University Park, Pennsylvania. VHS video cassette, 25 min. UVM Call
# VID 5764
Article: Boesch, C., and H. Boesch. 1996. Rain forest chimpanzees: the human connection. Nature & Resources, 32:26-32. (electr. reserve, hardcopy in lab)
Questions:
1. (5 pts) Where is Tai forest located geographically and in what kind of habitat do chimpanzees live at Tai?
2. (5 pts) Describe the "mechanics" (= components) of successful nutcracking.
3. (10 pts) What is the difference between Panda (Panda oleosa) and Coula (Coula edulis) nuts? How to Tai chimpanzees handle these nuts differently?
4. (15 pts) What does the film tell us about the different stages of nutcracking ability from age 1 to 5 in young chimpanzees?
5. (10 pts) With whom are nuts shared in the group and what does access to good tools mainly depend on?
6. (10 pts) What is described as a "rare sight" in the video and what are the particular circumstances?
7. (10 pts) What evidence for the "hunter-gatherer" hypothesis do Boesch and Boesch (1996) present based on their chimpanzee studies?
8. (15 pts) In what ways do the findings in chimpanzees from Tai forest contradict the anthropological "savanna model" of human evolution?
9. (5 pts) What effect did the Ebola virus have on chimpanzees at Tai and how may this tragedy help to understand this dangerous disease?
10. (15 pts) Why may the discovery of
nutcracking and other behaviors in chimpanzees allow us to speak of "cultural
behavior" or "evolution of culture" among non-human primates?
Video: Zeller, A. 1997. Lemurs of Madagascar.
Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA. VHS videocassette, color,
52 minutes. UVM Call #: VID 5773
Article: Schmid, J. 1999. Sex-specific differences in activity patterns and fattening in the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) in Madagascar. Journal of Mammalogy, 80:749-757. (electr. reserve, hardcopy in lab)
also, on reserve in library: Mittermeier, R. A., I. Tattersall, W. R. Konstant, D. M. Meyers, R. B. Mast, and S. Nash. 1994. Lemurs of Madagascar. Conservation International, Washington, D.C., 356 pp.
Questions:
1. (5 pts) Briefly summarize the unique zoogeographic setting of the Madagascar environment as described at the beginning of the video.
2. (15 pts) List all species, subspecies and families discussed in the video, where do they occur on Madagascar, and what are their general habitat (or niche) requirements.
3. (15 pts) Describe how and why scent-marking is used by different species in the video.
4. (15 pts) In a table organize the different types of locomotion lemurs use in the trees and/or on the ground.
5. (10 pts) What are the special night adaptations of the three nocturnal species at the end of the video?
6. (5 pts) How does the Aye-aye (Daubentonia) differ from the other lemurs? What is the significance of its elongated finger?
7. (5 pts) Which lemur predators, aside from humans, are mentioned in the video?
8. (10 pts) Which methodological approach did J. Schmid (1999) use to study gray mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus) in the wild?
9. (10 pts) How did activity patterns differ between male and female gray mouse lemurs?
10. (10 pts) Discuss conservation threats to lemurs on Madagascar.