ANAT30007 Lecture Notes - Lecture 31: Arboreal Locomotion, Vertebral Column, Brachiation
10 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Primates
Primates branched from rest of mammals 63mil yrs ago; humans branched from chimpanzees
6 million years ago
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Humans most closely related to chimpanzees and gorillas, in the pink group apes (lack tail)
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Human locomotion adapted from arboreal locomotion - swinging between branches with
upright back
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Types of locomotion among primates
11.2 Human Evolutionary Anatomy: Skull, Thorax, Back
Monday, 18 May 2015
8:59 pm
Locomotor Page 1
Vertical Clinging and Leaping Lemurs
Use hind limbs to jump between branches, back remains upright and clings with hands. Tail
provides aerodynamic support
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Semi-brachiating New World Monkeys
Locomotor Page 2
Document Summary
Primates branched from rest of mammals 63mil yrs ago; humans branched from chimpanzees. Humans most closely related to chimpanzees and gorillas, in the pink group apes (lack tail) Human locomotion adapted from arboreal locomotion - swinging between branches with upright back. Use hind limbs to jump between branches, back remains upright and clings with hands. Semi-brachiation = using prehensile tail (has nerve endings) to grip branches like a 5th limb. Baboons use 4 legs to walk with a digiti grade pattern of locomotion: weight placed on digits. 2-5, metacarpals and carpals make less ground contact. Uses all 4 limbs to jump between branches, have a long tail. Swinging from beneath branches, 4 limb dominated locomotion - extremely long limbs and very agile. Place weight on dorsal surface of middle phalanges. Line connects inferior-most part of orbit to superior-most part of external ear opening. Position where head is balanced on vertebral column - fluid in semicircular canals parallel to ground.
