Morphological evaluation of the baboon hind limb muscles based on relative weight

Morphological features of the hind limb muscles reflect the muscular function correlating with the locomotion. In this study, the muscles of the baboon hind limb were weighed and the relative muscle weights were compared with those of the human lower extremity. In the baboon, the biceps femoris was the largest (11.60%) and the vastus lateralis (10.67%) was placed second. The gluteus medius (8.55%) among the hip muscles and the gastrocnemius (4.38%) among the leg muscles were predominant in each segment. The relative weights of the gluteus medius and the biceps femoris were especially larger in the baboon than in the human, while the gluteus maximus and the soleus were larger in the human. The baboon gluteus medius and biceps femoris chiefly generate the propulsive power during quadrupedal locomotion and the human soleus is essential for the erect bipedalism.