Bipedal versus Quadrupedal Hind Limb and Foot Kinematics in a Captive Sample of Papio anubis: Setup and Preliminary Results

Abstract

Setups that integrate both kinematics and morpho-functional investigations of a single sample constitute recent developments in the study of nonhuman primate bipedalisms. We introduce the integrated setup built at the Primatology Station of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), which allows analysis of both bipedal and quadrupedal locomotion in a population of 55-60 captive olive baboons. As a first comparison, we present the hind limb kinematics of both locomotor modalities in 10 individuals, focusing on the stance phase. The main results are: 1) differences in bipedal and quadrupedal kinematics at the hip, knee, and foot levels; 2) a variety of foot contacts to the ground, mainly of semiplantigrade type, but also of plantigrade type; 3) equal variations between bipedal and quadrupedal foot angles; 4) the kinematics of the Int J Primatol (2010) 31:159-180

Bipedal Behaviour in Olive Baboons: Infants versus Adults in a Captive Environment

“…Rose's [1976] observations show that bipedalism occurs in a wide variety of situations, including copulation, carrying infants, exploration and play, although feeding is the commonest situation in which bipedalism is used; this posture has advantages for gathering and transporting food items [Wrangham, 1980]. Some qualitative observations suggest that immature baboons use bipedalism more often than adults [Rose, 1976;Altmann et al, 1977;Altmann and Samuels, 1992]; this was the assumption for an earlier biomechanical analysis of captive baboons [Berillon et al, 2010[Berillon et al, , 2011. However, these qualitative data are too sparse to support conclusions as to an ontogenetic positional pattern, including bipedalism, in baboons; quantitative data are available only for wild adult baboons, P. anubis [Hunt, 1991].…”

“…Our observations focused on a group of 60 baboons representing all age classes, from newborns to adults up to 21 years old (the same group as in Berillon et al [2010Berillon et al [ , 2011). At the time of observation, 2 males and 26 females were of reproductive age and had produced 9 infants in the previous 12 months.…”

“…They were fed collectively 3 times a day with fruits, seeds and pellets; water was available ad libitum from a rock fountain in the enclosure. This open-air enclosure has a variety of enhancing features including 2 hollow concrete pillars, a wooden cross-piece connecting the two pillars and a suspended net, a concrete walkway for biomechanical analysis [Berillon et al, 2010[Berillon et al, , 2011, 10 stacked concrete pipes, and 4 hollow concrete blocks scattered around the park. These amenities are designed to promote interactions between individuals and to constrain their behaviour as little as possible, allowing them to move on and above the ground as they would in tree branches in the wild.…”

“…This standard description should not mask the diversity of bipedal modes that functional (biomechanical) investigations have demonstrated at the interspecific, intraspecific and ontogenetic levels [Kimura, 1985[Kimura, , 1991Franzen et al, 2003;Folia Primatol 2013;84:347-361 DOI: 10.1159/000353115 D' Août et al, 2004;Hirasaki et al, 2004;Vereecke et al, 2006;Berillon et al, 2010;Demes, 2011]. In the context of this study, we observed at least 2 submodes of bipedalism, with the trunk highly flexed to almost erect and variable flexion of the limbs.…”

Locomotor Kinematics of Two Semi-Wild Macaque Species (<b><i>Macaca assamensis</i></b> and <b><i>Macaca arctoides</i></b>) in Thailand

“…Such sophisticated apparatuses and techniques facilitate the measurement of animal motions outside the laboratory. In fact, several kinematic analyses have been conducted at zoos and in captive enclosures [e.g., D'Août et al, 2002[e.g., D'Août et al, , 2004Isler, 2005;Berillon et al, 2010Berillon et al, , 2011Watson et al, 2011], although kinematic studies on free-ranging wild animals remain limited to a few preliminary reports [Shapiro et al, 2011;Wunderlich et al, 2011;Youlatos and Gasc, 2011;Hanna et al, 2015]. The global objective of our project was to noninvasively study animal locomotor kinematics in a wild environment.…”