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Functions of the Hand in Primates

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The Evolution of the Primate Hand

Part of the book series: Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects ((DIPR))

Abstract

Most functions of the hand are conserved across primates. All primates prehend objects with a single hand and use the hands and forelimb for postural support and in locomotion (although humans do so only intermittently after infancy). Primates also use the hand to explore objects and surfaces, and the hand has rich sensory capacities that support these activities. Derived abilities (present in some taxa, but not in others) include individuated control of one or more digits, in-hand movements, and rotation of the fifth digit. Nonprehensile skilled actions are probably derived in primates, and are vastly elaborated in humans. Much of what we know about manual function in nonhuman primates concerns static postures of the hand. To develop an integrated comparative understanding of manual function across species in the Order, priorities for research include (1) developing a vocabulary for hand postures and movements that applies across taxa, (2) studies of active haptic perception, compound grips, nonprehensile movements, and in-hand movements, that all contribute to manual dexterity in routine activity, and (3) studies of manual actions in natural circumstances.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See Lynch Alfaro et al. (2012) for reclassification of the robust (tufted) species of the genus Cebus, including apella and libidinosus, into the genus Sapajus.

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Acknowledgments and Dedication

We thank Marino Junior Oliveira and Valentina Truppa for the use of their photos, Pierre Lemelin for providing photos of lemurs and lorises, and Marianne Christel for drawings of hominid grips. Thanks to Bernard Wood for lending his copy of Wood Jones (1920) to D.F. Thanks to Myron Shekelle and Carsten Niemitz for discussing manual function in tarsiers. Thanks to Elisabetta Visalberghi, Mary Marzke, and Valentina Truppa for commenting on early drafts of the manuscript and Pierre Lemelin and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on the manuscript. We dedicate this chapter to Alison Jolly, a pioneer in the behavioral study of nonhuman primates and in particular of their manual function, who passed away in early 2014. We miss her deep knowledge, good sense, and good humor.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Dorothy M. Fragaszy

  2. Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Jessica Crast

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  1. Dorothy M. Fragaszy
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Correspondence to Dorothy M. Fragaszy .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary An, Leipzig, Germany

    Tracy L. Kivell

  2. Division of Anatomy Department of Surgery Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    Pierre Lemelin

  3. Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA

    Brian G. Richmond

  4. Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University , Durham, North Carolina, USA

    Daniel Schmitt

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Fragaszy, D.M., Crast, J. (2016). Functions of the Hand in Primates. In: Kivell, T., Lemelin, P., Richmond, B., Schmitt, D. (eds) The Evolution of the Primate Hand. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3646-5_12

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