Abstract
When using symmetrical gaits, terrestrial digitigrade monkeys adopt less digitigrade, i.e., more palmigrade-like, hand postures as they move with faster speeds. Accordingly, it appears that, in contrast to other mammals, digitigrady is unrelated to cursoriality in primates. However, researchers have not documented the effects of speed on distal forelimb kinematics in faster asymmetrical gaits, i.e., galloping, when ground reaction forces are typically increased owing to the decreased number of contact points during a stride, combined with higher speed. Thus, it remains possible that primates use digitigrade hand postures during these higher-speed asymmetrical gaits. We investigated 3D angles in the wrist joint and metacarpophalangeal joint of 2 habitually digitigrade terrestrial monkeys, Erythrocebus patas and Papio anubis, across a large range of walking and galloping speeds on a motorized treadmill. Nonparametric analyses reveal that angles, and therefore hand postures, are not different at the subject’s walk-gallop transition. Regression analyses show that when walking, digitigrade postures are adopted at slow speeds and more palmigrade-like postures are adopted at fast speeds. Contrary to expectations, there is little change in hand postures across galloping speeds; both subjects maintained palmigrade-like hand postures with substantial joint yield and reextension during support. These results indicate that the hands are always less digitigrade at faster speeds because the joints of the distal forelimb cannot resist the higher ground reaction forces that accompany these higher speed gaits.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Yuzuru Hamada, Eishi Hirasaki, and Todd Rae for inviting us to contribute to this special volume. This study benefited from numerous discussions with Susan Larson, Brigitte Demes, John Fleagle, Bill Jungers, and Brian Richmond. Kristin Fuehrer provided excellent training of the monkeys. Robert Fajardo, Michael Lague, Kamla Ahluwalia, Ann Johnson, Nancy Stevens, and LeaAnn Jolley assisted with some of the treadmill data collection. Kiran Uppal assisted in the digitizing process. Financial support for this study was provided in part by the National Science Foundation in the form of dissertation improvement grants (BCS 0524988, SBR 980307), Major Research Instrumentation grant (SBR 9724225) and funding for the Primate Locomotion Laboratory (SBR 9507078, SBR 9806291, BCS 0509190, BCS 0548892), The Leakey Foundation, and Sigma Xi.
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Patel, B.A., Polk, J.D. Distal Forelimb Kinematics in Erythrocebus patas and Papio anubis During Walking and Galloping. Int J Primatol 31, 191–207 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-010-9394-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-010-9394-6