Anthropoid origins—the foot evidence
1986; Elsevier BV; Volume: 15; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/s0047-2484(86)80025-2
ISSN1095-8606
Autores Tópico(s)Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
ResumoEvolutionary explanations for substrate use and the locomotor origin of Anthropoidea have been presented by Napier & Walker (1967) and Rollinson & Martin (1981); however, these explanations present contrasting opinions concerning the use of vertical supports. A comparison of bony foot anatomy in extant and fossil prosimians and anthropoids provides a likely solution concerning support choice and movement preference. Functionally, decreased mobility for abduction in the foot, de-emphasis of the strong grasping hallux, decrease in the length of the fourth digit, and a mid-trochlear position for the flexor hallucis longus groove on the posterior talus all support a more horizontal foot posture for anthropoids than in their "prosimian" ancestors. Thus, the origin of Anthropoidea in part resulted from a shift in movement and support choice, with a decrease in the use of vertical climbing and an increase in the use of above-branch quadrupedalism on horizontal supports. Adapids share derived foot characters with lemuriforms, and thus omomyids are left as the most likely ancestral stock for anthropoids.
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