Primates & LocomotionHannah Manuelito

Introduction

Primates can be classified on behavioral grounds into four major types: vertical clinging and leaping, quadrupedalism, brachiation, and bipedalism.

The differences between the four major categories lie principally in the degree to which the forelimbs and hind limbs are used to climb, swing, jump, and run.

Quadrupedalism(walking on all fours)

Physical Traits

Narrow thorax

Restricted shoulder joint

Forelimbs and hind limbs of similar lengths

Tail reduced

Species that are Quadrapeds

Gorillas

Brachiation(swinging and branch running)

Physical TraitsBroad thoraxForelimbs longer

than hind limbsReduced or absent

pollexMobile shoulder jointShort lumber jointMobile hip joint

Species that Brachiates

Mueller Gibbon

Clinging and Leaping

Physical Traits of Clingers

Hindlimbs longer than forelimbs.

Long, prehensile digits.

Long lumbar region or vertebral column

Species of clingers/leapers

Silky Sifaka

Bipedalism(walking on two feet)

Although there are several bipedal primates in the fossil records, humans are the only living bipedal primates.

Species that are bipeds