2018•The International Encyclopedia of Biological AnthropologyRequires access
Terrestrial locomotion
Daniel Schmitt, Angel Zeininger, Laura Gruss
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Abstract
Terrestrial locomotion is uncommon in primates. As a fundamentally arboreal radiation, primates have anatomical and behavioral specializations associated with movement in the trees that are retained when they move on the ground, making primate terrestrial quadrupedal locomotion unusual in its mechanics and development compared with other terrestrial mammals. In addition, primate bipedal locomotion on the ground exhibits a compliant form in apes and a few other species, and a stiff‐legged form in humans. The ways in which terrestrial primates differ from other mammals, and human locomotion differs from that of other primates, provide insight into primate evolutionary history.