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Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates
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Hands of early primates.

Doug M Boyer1, Gabriel S Yapuncich, Stephen G B Chester

  • 1Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY.

American Journal of Physical Anthropology
|November 20, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The study reveals that early primate hand evolution, particularly in adapiforms and omomyiforms, shows adaptations for vertical clinging and leaping. Plesiadapiforms, however, had distinct hand structures and grasping mechanics, differing from modern primates.

Keywords:
Paleogeneadapiformgraspingmanualnocturnal visual predationomomyiformprimate originsprosimianvertical clinging and leaping

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Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Primate Evolution
  • Comparative Anatomy

Background:

  • Primate origins and evolution are debated, with focus often on skull anatomy and diet.
  • Postcranial studies, especially of the hand skeleton, offer crucial insights into primate locomotion and foraging.
  • Hand morphology reflects foraging, locomotion, and posture, vital for understanding evolutionary transitions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review early primate hand evolution using fossil data and comparative anatomy.
  • To present new skeletal morphology data for Paleogene plesiadapiforms, notharctines, cercamoniines, adapines, and omomyiforms.
  • To discuss the implications of hand morphology for understanding locomotor transitions in early primates.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of fossil primate hand skeletons.
  • Documentation of skeletal morphology in Paleogene plesiadapiforms and various adapiform and omomyiform groups.
  • Examination of intrinsic hand proportions, hand-to-body size proportions, and specific joint features.

Main Results:

  • Plesiadapiform hands, despite similar proportions to extant primates, show different grasping mechanics due to claws and metacarpophalangeal joint structure.
  • Notharctines and cercamoniines possess elongated phalanges and digit rays, similar to tarsiers and galagos, but with typical primate hand-to-body size ratios.
  • Adapiforms and omomyiforms display carpal features indicating limited dorsiflexion, greater ulnar deviation, and a more divergent pollex than plesiadapiforms.

Conclusions:

  • Early euprimates (adapiforms and omomyiforms) likely relied more on vertical clinging-and-leaping and grasping behaviors.
  • Plesiadapiforms had distinct hand morphology and locomotion, differing significantly from ancestral euprimates.
  • Hand and postcranial skeletal analysis is critical for reconstructing primate locomotor evolution and understanding early primate diversification.