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RandomWiktor — Hitchin' A Ride

Published: 2007-03-15 02:43:28 +0000 UTC; Views: 225; Favourites: 1; Downloads: 3
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Description Ok, I admit that this is NOT the best photo quality - it is gritty and the focus isn't so hot. However, I just had to post it for the sake of how interesting it is! Here we see a mated pair of white-handed gibbons interacting with a male Malaysian tapir. The following is a text of some perhaps not too scientific observations of this whole interaction, if you're interested:

Yesterday, while at the zoo, I observed the following interesting behavior:
A male malaysian tapir in the "Jungle World" exhibit at the Bronx Zoo came to rest underneath a low-drooping artificial vine. Within minutes, a male white-handed gibbon, who had been resting nearby, swung over and hung directly above the tapir for some time. When the tapir did not move, the gibbon inched down the vine to its lowest-hanging point, where he could easily reach the rump and back of the large animal with his feet. The gibbon proceeded to lightly tap at the Tapir's back with his feet, at times taking a few steps along its back with his hands still grasping the vine. Finally, after much "testing" the new perch, the gibbon hung down by one arm and started grooming the tapir's back much like one might a primate, sticking his fingers into his mouth after scraping and picking over and over again.
After this had gone on for a while, a female Gibbon swung down on the same vine and seemed somewhat distressed. She continually grabbed the male's feet with her own and wrapped one arm around his body, effectively preventing him from continuing with the grooming. The pair proceeded to groom each other one-armed for a while, both with their feet planted on the tapir's back. Eventually, the male pulled away and jumped down on to the tapir, sitting on its back while picking at its flanks and rump. The female would only touch her feet to the tapir and did not once groom it, but did accept offerings of whatever was being pulled from his hair from her mate. The gibbon alternated between sitting directly on the animal's back while grooming it, to hanging from the tree grooming it one armed, to simply standing on its back while he groomed his mate.
This went on for some time, during which the tapir did not at any point leave the spot. It remained mostly still aside from occasionally raising its head and flipping its trunk-like upper lip, or shifting its weight from foot to foot. When the gibbons eventually left, the tapir stood by the vine for a bit longer, then left to go wallow in a muddy area of the exhibit.
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Comments: 1

Redpyre [2007-03-23 02:26:52 +0000 UTC]

*mouth agape*

Why does all the cool stuff happen when *you* go there?? I didn't even *see* the tapir!

I love animal behavior. That's just too cool.

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