ANTH 1220 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Knuckle-Walking, Quadrupedalism, Flat Feet

• School: University of Manitoba
• Department: Anthropology
• Course: ANTH 1220
• Professor: Ellen R.Judd

Document Summary

Primitive mammalian body, long mobile back, muscular hind limbs, tails for balance, shorter forelimbs, joints can rotate well . Climb, can grasp branch (instead of walk on top), move vertically . Primitive narrow thorax, long tail for balance, mobile upper joints, prehensile. New equal length limbs, horizontal trunk, lateral motion in shoulder joints . Arms for support, leap on branches, less quadrupedalism, broad chest, short back, modified shoulder blade (suspension) . Brachiation (asian gibbon) never run quadrupedally, climb quadrupedally, anatomy good for hanging, long arms, no tail, arms longer than trunk and legs, hook hands (to reach upper canopy) . Most primates are omnivores with wide econiche and habitat (fruits, insects, plants, meat) . Some have narrow econiche/habitat (colobus monkey eats leaves, gorillas are vegetarians) . Wide = generalist adaptation (adapts to change, high chance of survival) . Narrow = specialist adaptation (susceptible to change, easy to go extinct) .