RRC ID 56302
Author Hirasaki E, Oishi M.
Title Arrangement of foot interosseous muscles in African great apes.
Journal Am J Phys Anthropol
Abstract OBJECTIVES:The dorsal interossei of the human foot are arranged so that they abduct the digits around the second digit, while those of non-hominoid anthropoid primates are mostly arranged around the third or fourth digit. This is thought to relate to the medial shift in the functional axis, an essential modification in the evolution of the human foot. However, studies of the arrangement of interosseous muscles are relatively limited and there is some debate about their arrangement in great apes. In particular, some researchers claim that the interossei of chimpanzees are arranged around the second digit, whereas others claim that their foot axis lies on the third digit.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:We examined the arrangement of the foot interosseous muscles in ten chimpanzees, one bonobo, and three gorillas.
RESULTS:The interossei were arranged around the second digit in two chimpanzees, one bonobo, and one gorilla, whereas the third digit was the axis in the other specimens.
DISCUSSIONS:The variation observed suggests that the arrangement of the interosseous muscles of the great apes is in a transitional condition from monkey-type to human-type. Considering that osteological and foot pressure research supports the idea that the foot axis is on the second digit in great apes, modification in the interosseous muscles appears to lag behind modification in the metatarsals and foot motion.
Volume 167(4)
Pages 924-929
Published 2018-10-10
DOI 10.1002/ajpa.23685
PMID 30302746
MeSH Animals Anthropology, Physical Biological Evolution* Female Foot* / anatomy & histology Foot* / physiology Gorilla gorilla* / anatomy & histology Gorilla gorilla* / physiology Locomotion / physiology Male Muscle, Skeletal* / anatomy & histology Muscle, Skeletal* / physiology Pan troglodytes* / anatomy & histology Pan troglodytes* / physiology X-Ray Microtomography
IF 2.414
Times Cited 1
Resource
GAIN chimpanzee bonobo gorilla