GB
LONDON ZOO VISIT
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Once I had chosen the theme for the essays and research I started thinking about mammals and their similarities to humans, particularly predators (lions, tigers, gorillas and wolves) I wanted to visit a Zoo to get a closer insight into their behaviours and hope to get up close to some of them. Because of the time of year I looked at which Zoo’s were open and found that only Longleat and London Zoo where. I emailed both but Longleat was closed to the public and only VIP tickets of £180 pounds were available. After discussing the possibility of seeing the predators up close with a zoologist at Longleat I came to conclude that it wasn’t possible for the time of year as most of them arent roaming in the colder months. Instead I visited London zoo and watched the animals in their unnatural enclosures.
10 January 2015, Tiger Talk, London Zoo: 12:00pm.
Notes Taken:
-Stripes for camouflage, Teeth, Claw: Necessary survival qualities for the predator In the wild.
-Melati, female tiger; protected by ZSL patrols. Weight 85kg born 20/08/08
-Tigers have retractable claws, they can pull them in and push them out. Whilst they are tucked, in they can stalk prey silently. Whilst the claws are out they can climb, hunt and fight.
-The male shows stress behaviours towards a female when he cannot come into contact with her. He calls out to the female.
-Tigers are solitary in the wild.
-Primative dominant male, assert dominance and outcasts younger males.
-Meercats: 1 female dominates the rest, she will attack others so they cannot breed.
Their Markings:
I was hoping to see the lions at the Zoo but unfortunately they where in hiding. However, I was able to get relatively close to the tigers in their enclosures and their facial markings where fascinating, beautifully symmetrical. For one of my make up explorations I will be creating a camouflage face/ bodypaint and I will consider the lines/marking from the tigers face in the design. They have a scratchy/ abstract appeal and this could translate beautifully in a variety of colours on the face.
Gorillas:
Fortunately a mother had recently given birth in the Gorilla enclosure and I was able to see an open display in affection from the mother towards the baby, who seemed to want to show the newborn off to an audience. She was seen to be cleaning the babys hands and feet and pressing them with its tongue, I found out that this is because a baby Gorillas hands and feet do not have any grip during the early months after birth. The mother will cradle the baby in her arms with a firm grip wherever she goes, to avoid the baby being injured. They cannot climb without their mothers in the early months and are dependent on them for survival.
You can see the mother educating the baby and trying to prop it up to stand. When the baby isn’t able to support itself, she again cradles it in her arms. This great deal of affection is similar to a human mother and her new-born and to see the common similarities so closely was educational and yet amazing.
From visiting the Gorilla enclosure, I gained an understanding of their similarities in behaviour and maternal instincts from a mother towards a new-born. This visit has leaded me to look at research in behavioural similarities and instincts for three case studies, which I was to write about in an Appraisal.
A male Gorilla weighs around 175kg. Their hands are very human like, and they have opposable thumbs and toes so they can grip things with their hands or feet. Gorillas skulls have a big ridge on the crown- for their strong neck muscles to attach to.
Though humans and Gorillas are similar in development historically, The differences are noticeably evident in facial anatomy and structure. The Gorillas brow bone is lower and a prominant feature on the face and the lower jaw reverts back into the nape. The sockets appear to be higher and penetrate within the cheekbones and the forehead is a fraction of the size.
Measuring up to size:
There was a bleached deer skull enclosed behind a glass cabinet within the Zoo that caught my eye. The bone looked delicate yet strong and unattached from the body it no longer looked like the animal to me. It looked more like a mask, a mask of protection. I began thinking about survival instinct and protection in a natural habitat (the jungle). Humans without firearm could not live successfully without some form of protection in the wild against a large predator and this deer skull made me think of masks, masks protecting the face in the form of bones, against predators.