Diversity of grip in adults and young humans and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Pouydebat, Emmanuelle; Reghem, E.; Borel, Antony; Gorce, Philippe

doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2010.11.021

Cited by 72 publications

(103 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Using this kinematic model, we predict that humans will have the largest thumb-index finger WS across all object sizes and that non-human primate taxa considered to be most dexterous in the wild and/or captivity-specifically African apes, baboons, macaques and capuchin monkeys-will have higher WS values than other primates [22,23,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. We expect Pongo to have a different WS from other dexterous species because, although they are also adept tool-users, they have short thumbs and often use a variety of finger-only and non-hand (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating thumb–index finger precision grip and manipulation potential in extant and fossil primates

Feix

Kivell

Pouydebat

et al. 2015

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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Primates, and particularly humans, are characterized by superior manual dexterity compared with other mammals. However, drawing the biomechanical link between hand morphology/behaviour and functional capabilities in non-human primates and fossil taxa has been challenging. We present a kinematic model of thumb-index precision grip and manipulative movement based on bony hand morphology in a broad sample of extant primates and fossil hominins. The model reveals that both joint mobility and digit proportions (scaled to hand size) are critical for determining precision grip and manipulation potential, but that having either a long thumb or great joint mobility alone does not necessarily yield high precision manipulation. The results suggest even the oldest available fossil hominins may have shared comparable precision grip manipulation with modern humans. In particular, the predicted human-like precision manipulation of Australopithecus afarensis, approximately one million years before the first stone tools, supports controversial archaeological evidence of tool-use in this taxon.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating thumb–index finger precision grip and manipulation potential in extant and fossil primates

Feix

Kivell

Pouydebat

et al. 2015

J. R. Soc. Interface.

Self Cite

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“…Comparative experimental studies of primate manual manipulation, including those on experienced human stone tool knappers, have revealed three manipulative abilities considered unique to the human hand [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47]. The first is precision handling: the ability to rotate and manipulate objects within one hand using the thumb and fingertips [37,41].…”

Section: What Makes Humans Distinct? Manipulative Abilities and Morphmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence in hand: recent discoveries and the early evolution of human manual manipulation

Kivell

2015

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

110

121

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For several decades, it was largely assumed that stone tool use and production were abilities limited to the genus Homo . However, growing palaeontological and archaeological evidence, comparative extant primate studies, as well as results from methodological advancements in biomechanics and morphological analyses, have been gradually accumulating and now provide strong support for more advanced manual manipulative abilities and tool-related behaviours in pre- Homo hominins than has been traditionally recognized. Here, I review the fossil evidence related to early hominin dexterity, including the recent discoveries of relatively complete early hominin hand skeletons, and new methodologies that are providing a more holistic interpretation of hand function, and insight into how our early ancestors may have balanced the functional requirements of both arboreal locomotion and tool-related behaviours.

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“…Studies of bonobo (and chimpanzee) hand grips are done almost exclusively in captivity [Christel, 1993;Marzke and Wullstein, 1996;Christel et al, 1998;Pouydebat et al, 2011]. These studies show that they are capable of precision grasping between the thumb and finger(s).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nut‐cracking behaviour in wild‐born, rehabilitated bonobos (Pan paniscus): a comprehensive study of hand‐preference, hand grips and efficiency

Neufuss

Humle

Cremaschi

et al. 2016

American J Primatol

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There has been an enduring interest in primate tool-use and manipulative abilities, most often with the goal of providing insight into the evolution of human manual dexterity, right-hand preference, and what behaviours make humans unique. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are arguably the most well-studied tool-users among non-human primates, and are particularly wellknown for their complex nut-cracking behaviour, which has been documented in several West African populations. However, their sister-taxon, the bonobos (Pan paniscus), rarely engage in even simple tool-use and are not known to nut-crack in the wild. Only a few studies have reported tool-use in captive bonobos, including their ability to crack nuts, but details of this complex tool-use behaviour have not been documented before. Here, we fill this gap with the first comprehensive analysis of bonobo nut-cracking in a natural environment at the Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Eighteen bonobos were studied as they cracked oil palm nuts using stone hammers. Individual bonobos showed exclusive laterality for using the hammerstone and there was a significant group-level right-hand bias. The study revealed 15 hand grips for holding differently sized and weighted hammerstones, 10 of which had not been previously described in the literature. Our findings also demonstrated that bonobos select the most effective hammerstones when nut-cracking. Bonobos are efficient nutcrackers and not that different from the renowned nut-cracking chimpanzees of Bossou, Guinea, which also crack oil palm nuts using stones.

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Diversity of grip in adults and young humans and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Cited by 72 publications

References 38 publications

Estimating thumb–index finger precision grip and manipulation potential in extant and fossil primates

Estimating thumb–index finger precision grip and manipulation potential in extant and fossil primates

Evidence in hand: recent discoveries and the early evolution of human manual manipulation

Nut‐cracking behaviour in wild‐born, rehabilitated bonobos (Pan paniscus): a comprehensive study of hand‐preference, hand grips and efficiency

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