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Foot Posture During Quadrupedal Walking in Primates

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The Evolution of the Primate Foot

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

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Abstract

A highly mobile grasping foot is a hallmark of primates. Grasping feet facilitated the navigation of an arboreal environment in the earliest primates. Identifying anatomical traits of pedal grasping abilities, diagnostic of terrestriality, or both requires a comprehensive understanding of foot positions and joint postures used during arboreal and terrestrial quadrupedalism. Movements at the ankle, hindfoot, midfoot, and forefoot allow various parts of the plantar surface of the foot (sole) to contact the substrate. Patterns in the timing of substrate contact in each region of the foot, particularly the heel and midfoot, have been used to define and categorize primate foot postures. This chapter describes each foot posture in terms of anatomy and function. Where possible, foot postures are compared and contrasted to postures available in the hand to highlight the role of the foot and the hand, as well as their decoupling, during primate quadrupedalism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Angel Zeininger

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  1. Angel Zeininger
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Correspondence to Angel Zeininger .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Angel Zeininger

  2. Department of Biology, Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Kevin G. Hatala

  3. Department of Biology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA, USA

    Roshna E. Wunderlich

  4. Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Daniel Schmitt

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Zeininger, A. (2022). Foot Posture During Quadrupedal Walking in Primates. In: Zeininger, A., Hatala, K.G., Wunderlich, R.E., Schmitt, D. (eds) The Evolution of the Primate Foot. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06436-4_9

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