Mechanical loading of primate fingers on vertical rock surfaces

rock walls is attested by several populations of baboons, one of which uses a 7-m ver tical surface to enter for estimating the probability of extreme mechanical loading on the phalanges of rock-climbing primates. Here we use three-dimensional photogrammetry to show that 82-91% of the climbable surf...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:South African Journal of Science 2021-11, Vol.117 (11-12), p.131-136
Main Authors: Everett, Michael C, Elliott, Marina C, Gaynor, David, Hill, Austin C, Syeda, Samar M, Casana, Jesse, Zipfel, Bernhard, DeSilva, Jeremy M, Dominy, Nathaniel J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Baboons
bone curvature
Bones
Climbing
Curvature
Finger
Human evolution
Locomotion
Mechanical loading
Monkeys & apes
Muscles
Nature reserves
Photogrammetry
Primates
Rock climbing
Rocks
suspension
Tendons
Vertical loads
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Summary:rock walls is attested by several populations of baboons, one of which uses a 7-m ver tical surface to enter for estimating the probability of extreme mechanical loading on the phalanges of rock-climbing primates. Here we use three-dimensional photogrammetry to show that 82-91% of the climbable surface would generate high forces on the flexor tendon pulley system and severely load the phalanges of baboons and H. naledi. If such propor tions are representative of ver tical rock surfaces elsewhere, it may be sufficient to induce stress-mitigating curvature in the phalanges of primates.Significance: • We present the first three-dimensional photogrammetric analysis of a vertical rock surface climbed by a non-human primate, the chacma baboon (Papio ursinus). • Our results show that a large proportion of a vertical rock wall would compel crimp and slope hand positions during climbing – grips that could explain the extraordinary phalangeal curvature expressed by a Middle Pleistocene hominin, Homo naledi.
ISSN:0038-2353
1996-7489
DOI:10.17159/sajs.2021/10409