OBJECTIVES: Laboratory studies have yielded important insights into primate locomotor mechanics. Nevertheless, laboratory studies fail to capture the range of ecological and structural variation encountered by free-ranging primates. We present…
The grasping capabilities and gait kinematics characteristic of primates are often argued to be adaptations for safely moving on small terminal branches. The goal of this study was to identify whether Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus…
Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-associated neurodegenerative disorder hallmarked by a loss of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons. Accurate recapitulation of the PD movement phenotype in animal models of the disease is critical for understanding…
In 1959, Maroteaux and Lamy initially designated pseudoachondroplasia as a distinct dysplasia different from achondroplasia, which is the most common form of skeletal dysplasia associated with dwarfism. Pseudoachondroplasia is the second-most common…
Primate hands can be classified into two broad categories on the basis of ray proportions and other features. Ectaxonic hands are characterized by a longer fourth ray and are found in most strepsirhines. Most haplorhines possess mesaxonic hands which…
Locomotor features shared by arboreal marsupials and primates are frequently cited as a functional complex that evolved in the context of a "fine branch niche." Adaptation to a fine branch niche cannot be understood without considering that small and…
Arboreal mammals face unique challenges to locomotor stability. This is particularly true with respect to juveniles, who must navigate substrates similar to those traversed by adults, despite a reduced body size and neuromuscular immaturity.…
The need to maintain stability on narrow branches is often presented as a major selective force shaping primate morphology, with adaptations to facilitate grasping receiving particular attention. The functional importance of a long and mobile tail…
