ANIMAL CONSERVATION
The wonderful world of primates As one of Zoos Victoria’s crowd favourites, primates are a complex order of creatures that are closely related to humans. WORDS Jo
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hat do humans, lemurs, gorillas, orangutans and baboons have in common? We’re all primates that evolved from a common ancestor many millions of years ago. Despite all being classified as primates, humans, apes and monkeys are vastly different species – with humans sharing the most characteristics with apes. We both have long life spans, large brains relative to our body size, are able to form close social bonds and use vision more than our sense of smell. So how can you tell apes apart from other primates like lemurs and monkeys? Apes don’t have a tail, tend to sit upright and are usually bigger than other primates. There are hundreds of different primate species and some can be found at Melbourne Zoo and Werribee Open Range Zoo.
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So, who’s who in the zoo?
Melbourne Zoo’s Gorilla Rainforest is home to the Western Lowland Gorilla, White-cheeked Gibbon, Black-handed Spider Monkey, Black-and-white Colobus, Cotton-top Tamarin and Ring-tailed Lemur. Elsewhere in the Zoo there’s siamangs, orang-utans and Hamadryas Baboons. Werribee Open Range Zoo is home to Western Lowland Gorillas and troops of Vervet Monkeys. While they all belong to the same order, each species of primate has unique physical characteristics and behavioural tendencies. “The siamangs and gibbons are the noisiest. We love to hear their duets ring out across the Zoo,” says Fleur Butcher, Primate Keeper at Melbourne Zoo. While the siamangs and gibbons might be the loudest, another species takes the title for being the cheekiest. “The baboons are constantly playing, jumping on each other and pulling each other’s tails. Juju holds a special place in
