Dynamic plantar pressure distribution during terrestrial locomotion of bonobos (Pan paniscus)

Abstract

We collected high-resolution plantar pressure distributions of seven bonobos during terrestrial bipedal and quadrupedal locomotion (N = 146). Functional foot length, degree of hallux abduction, and total contact time were determined, and plots, showing pressure as a function of time for six different foot regions, were generated. We also studied five adult humans for comparison (N = 13). Both locomotion types of the bonobo show a large variation in plantar pressure distributions, which could be due to the interference of instantaneous behavior with locomotion and differences in walking speed and body dimensions. The heel and the lateral midfoot typically touch down simultaneously at initial ground contact in bipedal and quadrupedal walking of bonobos, in contrast with the typical heel-strike of human bipedalism. The center of pressure follows a curved course during quadrupedalism, as a consequence of the medial weight transfer during mid-stance. Bipedal locomotion of bonobos is characterized by a more plantar positioning of the feet and by a shorter contact time than during quadrupedal walking, according to a smaller stride and step length at a higher frequency. We observed a varus position of the foot with an abducted hallux, which likely possesses an important sustaining and stabilizing function during terrestrial locomotion.

The role of plantigrady and heel-strike in the mechanics and energetics of human walking with implications for the evolution of the human foot

“…Compared with the consistent use of an HS gait in humans, many of the foot postures used by nonhuman apes lead to reduced total translation of the COP (Vereecke et al, 2003). For example, when bonobos land on both the heel and midfoot simultaneously (Elftman and Manter, 1935;Vereecke et al, 2003Vereecke et al, , 2005, the COP originates between the heel and forefoot, rather than directly under the heel. Therefore, a consistent HS landing posture that maximizes COP translation may be a novel evolutionary solution to lengthening inverted pendulum struts from an ape-like ancestral condition.…”

“…For example, researchers have shown that our closest living relatives, bonobos (Pan paniscus) and common chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), use a wide range of landing postures, from a traditional human-like heel strike, to landings where the heel does not touch down until the second half of stance phase (see Elftman and Manter, 1935;Vereecke et al, 2003). Most often, these apes use gaits where the heel and mid-foot contact the ground simultaneously, which also differ from human HS walking where initial ground contact is made by the heel alone (Elftman and Manter, 1935;Vereecke et al, 2003). Thus, the key human evolutionary shift from the non-hominin ape foot landings appears to be the consistent use of heel-only landing postures.…”

Propulsive force calculations in swimming frogs I. A momentum–impulse approach

“…The average force profile during swimming was obtained by first subdividing the total extension time into 21 equal steps by weighted interpolation, and then taking the average and standard deviation for each step from the eight sequences (Vereecke et al, 2003) from two animals.…”

Locomotor versatility in the white-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar): A spatiotemporal analysis of the bipedal, tripedal, and quadrupedal gaits

“…Recently, efforts have been made to compile a sound quantitative data set of gait variables for great apes (Aerts et al, 2000;D'Août et al, 2002;Isler and Thorpe, 2003;Isler, 2005;Vereecke et al, 2003Vereecke et al, , 2004. The lack of information for gibbon locomotion is unfortunate because insights into their locomotor capacities could add to our understanding of hominoid locomotion and perhaps the evolution of habitual terrestrial bipedalism in humans.…”

“…Finally, bipedal gait characteristics of gibbons were compared to those of bonobos (Pan paniscus) and humans (Homo sapiens). These species are interesting for comparison, in view of their different morphology, their ability to walk bipedally, and their close phylogenetic relationship with gibbons (McHenry and Corruccini, 1981;Goodman, 1999;Aerts et al, 2000;Vereecke et al, 2003;D'Août et al, 2004;Goodman et al, 2005).…”