Data Analysis
I started observing on December 1, 1998. Before I started observing, however, I had to make a data sheet. My first data sheet didn't work as I found out that first observation session. My list of expected behaviors didn't cover the scope of the behavior I witnessed. I ended up just taking notes that I used to make a new and adequate data sheet. My new data sheet worked well, and included these behaviors: feeding, circling, vocalizing, on alert, resting/sleeping, grooming, climbing, and leaping. I also documented the lemur's position, ground-level, mid-level, or tree-level. The level the lemurs spend most of their time at is important because in the wild lemurs spend about 80% of their time at tree-level, and are almost completely arboreal. I wanted to know if the same was true for the zoo's lemurs.
To organize the raw data I collected from my observations of the lemurs I first took the average times of when I started and when I finished each observation session. Since I observed both in the morning and in the afternoon I took two averages, one for the morning and one for the afternoon. These and the rest of my observations did not include the three sessions in which the lemur did not come out into the open and allow me to observe her. I got a mean morning start time of 10:00 AM with a finish time of 11:00 AM, and a mean afternoon start time of 1:21 PM with a finish of 2:21 PM.
The second part of my analysis and first part of my raw data collection, was the level at which the lemur spent most of its time at, of the three levels TREE (5ft. and above), MID (between 1 ft. and 5 ft.) and GROUND (1 ft. and below). Because I was studying two different lemurs, in tow very different environments, I recorded their averages separately and then put together an overall average. For the indoor lemur, Frankie, I got an average of 6.6 minutes spent at TREE level, 50.9 minutes at MID level, and 2.5 minutes at GROUND level. For the outdoor lemur, Flipper, I got an average of 38.07 minutes at TREE level, 4.55 minutes at MID level, and 5.63 minutes at GROUND level. The overall averages were 17.02 minutes spent at TREE level, 37.7 minutes spent at MID level and 23.76 minutes at GROUND level.
The differences in their separate averages are most likely due to habitat differences. Frankie's cage's ceiling was much lower and closer to all available resting places at TREE level, where as Flipper's cage's ceiling was much higher and farther from available resting places. Flipper's averages are much closer to wild black-and-white ruffed lemurs, leading me to believe that a change in habitat to one more closely resembling wild lemur would lead to the zoo's lemurs spending more time higher off the ground. Another variable that might have contributed to the differing averages could have been that I was only able to observe Frankie in the afternoon and Flipper in the morning, also I was only able to observe Flipper twice where I observed Frankie five times.
The next set of observations I made was about the activities demonstrated by the lemurs. The activities I choose were Feeding, Circling, Vocalizing, On Alert, Resting/Sleeping, Grooming, Climbing, and Leaping. From these activities I found the average times per hour that they demonstrated each activity. These averages can be see in the attached pages. Also included in the data sheets and tables are the combined averages of activity frequency for both the lemurs.
Most of the activities were demonstrated at nearly the same frequency for both lemurs, however Vocalizing, Rest/Sleep, Climbing, and Leaping frequencies have marked differences. Frankie had a vocalizing frequency of 3 times/hour where Flipper only vocalized once per hour on average. This is probably due to how close I was to the lemurs during my observations. With Frankie I was within a foot or two of her, and with Flipper I was a good 20-ft. or more away from her. From this information I am concluding that most of the vocalizations were territorial. This conclusion would also be consistent with wild lemur behavior, as most vocalizations in the wild are for territorial threats or danger warnings to other members of the troupe. Flipper was only at rest for an average of 9.5 times/hour, where as Frankie was at rest on the average of 50.6 times/hour. I think this is due to the differences in the environments that the two lemurs live in. Frankie lives inside where there is little or no threat, or feelings of threat, from other animals, and Flipper lived in the open, or at least what seemed like the open to her in her outside enclosure. In this case again Flipper's averages are much closer to wild lemur behavior. In climbing and leaping, Flipper demonstrated these behaviors about four times as often as Frankie per hour. This is probably due again to space, and height of the cage of Flipper, and again in this case Flipper is closer to her wild relatives.
