Postcranial Adaptation in Nonhuman Primates

Book excerpt: Incorporating the latest research of leading scholars in the field, this collection of essays offers a comprehensive overview of function and adaptation in the postcranial skeleton of living and fossil nonhuman primates. Following an essay on the biomechanics of primate limbs, seven essays address major aspects of functional morphology and anatomy in primates—covering the shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist, hand, hip, thigh, foot, and vertebral column. The final four essays apply this anatomical knowledge toward interpreting positional and locomotor behavior in extinct primates preserved in the fossil record. Generously illustrated, the volume is intended for students of functional comparative anatomy, morphology, zoology, paleontology, and physical anthropology.