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The significance of the heel process in anthropoids

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Abstract

The plantar process of the tuber calcanei among pongids and hominids serves as the origin for the superficial head of the flexor digitorum brevis muscle (FDB). In a survey of the soft tissues and osteology of the foot in a diverse number of anthropoid genera, it was found that a large superficial head of the FDB is associated with a large inflated plantar process (heel process). A large FDB with a separate calcaneal origin allows toe flexion independent of foot position. This type of movement allows an animal to reach and grasp or hang by its feet during slow deliberate climbing. The presence of á heel process in anthropoids and in nonprimate mammals is correlated with those animals which are slow climbers or are likely descended from slow-climbing forms. The presence of a heel process in humans and in pongids implies that the common pongid-hominid ancestor was most likely a slow climber. In fossil catarrhines the presence of a heel process can be interpreted either as evidence of slow-climbing behavior or as a heritage feature from a slow-climbing ancestor.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, New York University, 10012, New York, New York

    Esteban E. Sarmiento

  2. Department of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History, 10024, New York, New York

    Esteban E. Sarmiento

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Sarmiento, E.E. The significance of the heel process in anthropoids. Int J Primatol 4, 127–152 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02743754

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