The Evolution Of Primate Locomotion And Body Configuration: An Analysis

The Evolution of Primate locomotion and body Configuration

After millions of years that humans separated from their relative primate how is that humans became bipedal. So many changes have happened to the human body to decide to stay on the ground and abandoned their lives in the trees. Primates evolved different body structures according to their lifestyle and the ecosystem in which they lived. As Charles Darwin natural selection stays; it could be as a result of new environments, the need for food and shelter, which forced humans to adapt and survive. Although, most of primates’ anatomy reflects habits of movement, it could be easy to see the external differences but there are many differences that have been intensely studied and researched.

The way of the Lemurs evolution is very particular. Once, Madagascar was attached to the African Continent, but Madagascar separated from the mainland of Africa. Therefore, this is the reason why the Lemurs still exist today, thanks to Madagascar's isolation. This is the reason that the Lemurs have not changed much from their ancestors. In order to avoid other primates and predators the Lemurs became nocturnal, so they were able to survive. “Note the large eyes, a nocturnal adaptation, typical of both ancient and modern prosimians who are active at night.” (Larsen, 2014). However, what they could not avoid was the threats of humans, even though humans evolved from them. As Larsen states; “The five types of vertebrae in primates, including lemurs and humans, create a flexible column allowing a wide range of movement. The cervical, thoracic, and lumbar vertebrae are the true, or movable, vertebrae, responsible for bending, twisting, and stretching.” (Larsen, p. 164). As a result of this mobility, the locomotion behaviors of the Lemurs is that they walk quadrupedal and they do leaping horizontally from branch to branch. To do this, the Lemurs developed strong muscles and flexibility, but also the ability to stand straight

For the lowland adult male gorilla measure up about 66.9 in. tall and weigh an average of 374 pounds, while adult female gorillas measure up about 59.1 in. height and her weigh is no more than 160 pounds. On the other hand, adult male mountain gorillas may weigh up to 484 pounds, and adult females weigh about 215 pounds. The adult male bonobos measure up to 4 feet tall and weigh an average of 85 pounds, while adult female bonobos measure up over 3 feet tall and weigh an average of 68 pounds. The adult male chimpanzees measure up to approximately 4 feet high, and weigh between 90 and 120 pounds, while the female chimpanzees weigh between 60 and 110 pounds. The adult male orangutan measure up to typically 4 ft. 6 in. tall and weigh around 165 pound, while the adult female orangutan measure up to 3 ft. 9 in. and weigh around 82 pounds. Male orangutans are approximately twice the size of the females. It is believed that the bigger size of males is because of the strong competition among males for females. The 12 species of gibbons are classified as lesser apes. They are relatively smaller, slender, and more agile than other apes. They exhibit many characteristics of primates, including flat faces, enlarged brain sizes, grasping hands and feet, arms longer than legs, no tails, and broad chests. Male gibbons are just under 3 ft. in length and weigh about 15 pounds. Furthermore, the evolution of Homo erectus showed more human examination