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Relationship between body size and long bone lengths in Pan and Gorilla
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
|January 1, 1978
Summary
This study found that while long bone lengths correlate with body size in gorillas and chimpanzees (Pan), these measurements only explain 20% of body length variance in chimpanzees, suggesting other factors influence their overall size.
Area of Science:
- Primatology
- Anthropology
- Comparative Anatomy
Background:
- Understanding primate body size variation is crucial for evolutionary and ecological studies.
- Previous research has established correlations between skeletal measurements and overall body size in various mammals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between long bone lengths (femur and humerus) and body length in Gorilla and Pan specimens.
- To quantify the proportion of body length variance explained by long bone measurements in these primate species.
Main Methods:
- Body length (vertex to heel) data were extracted from field notes of Gorilla and Pan specimens.
- Biocondylar lengths of the femur and humerus were measured from skeletal remains.
- Correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the relationship between long bone lengths and body length.
Main Results:
- Significant correlations were observed between long bone lengths and body size in both Gorilla and Pan samples.
- In Gorilla, long bone measurements reflected a substantial portion of body size variation.
- In Pan, long bone lengths accounted for only 20% of the variance in body length, indicating limited predictive power for overall body size.
Conclusions:
- Long bone measurements are reliable indicators of body size in Gorillas.
- In chimpanzees (Pan), long bone lengths are less indicative of overall body size, suggesting the influence of other anatomical or environmental factors on their body dimensions.