Posture, Locomotion and Bipedality: The Case of the Gerenuk (Litocranius walleri)

Cartmill, Matt; Brown, Kaye

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-46646-0_6

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 32 publications

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“…That “fully loaded bipedal walking,” (hind limbs supported, on average, approximately 90.2% of body weight), might be required to generate dorsally wedged lumbar vertebrae is also consistent with observations for other mammals that use sustained bipedal postures (e.g., while feeding), but do not engage in sustained bipedal walking. Cartmill and Brown () assessed if bipedal standing, but not bipedal locomotion, influenced lumbar vertebral body wedging in gerenuks ( Litocranius walleri ), which are bovids known to use bipedal standing postures while foraging on low branches. Their results demonstrated that measures of lumbar vertebral body wedging did not differ between gerenuks and their non‐bipedal relatives.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of the Axial Skeleton to Bipedal Loading Behaviors in an Experimental Animal Model

Russo

Marsh

Foster

2018

The Anatomical Record

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Many derived aspects of modern human axial skeletal morphology reflect our reliance on obligate bipedal locomotion. Insight into the adaptive significance of features, particularly in the spine, has been gained through experimental studies that induce bipedal standing or walking in quadrupedal mammals. Using an experimental animal model (Rattus norvegicus), the present study builds on earlier work by incorporating additional metrics of the cranium, employing quantitative methods established in the paleoanthropological literature, and exploring how variation in mechanical loading regimes impacts axial anatomy. Rats were assigned to one of five experimental groups, including "fully loaded bipedal walking," "partially loaded bipedal walking," "standing bipedally," "quadrupedal walking," and "no exercise control," and engaged in the behavior over 12-weeks. From μCT data obtained at the beginning and end of the experiment, we measured foramen magnum position and orientation, lumbar vertebral body wedging, cranial surface area of the lumbar and first sacral vertebral bodies, and sacral mediolateral width. Results demonstrate that bipedal rodents generally have more anteriorly positioned foramina magna, more dorsally wedged lumbar vertebrae, greater articular surface areas of lumbar and first sacral vertebral bodies, and sacra that exhibit greater mediolateral widths, compared to quadrupedal rodents. We further document variation among bipedal loading behavior groups (e.g., bipedal standing vs. walking). Our experimental animal model reveals how loading behaviors and adaptations may be specifically linked, and implicates a potential role for developmental plasticity in the evolutionary acquisition of bipedal adaptations in the hominin lineage. Anat Rec, 303:150-166, 2020.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%