Abstract
Abstract This study demonstrates that there is great diversity in the foot of Old World monkeys which has implications for our understanding of quadrupedalism. By examining a large array of cercopithecid species and individuals, it is demonstrated that, contra previous workers, there is no difference between colobines and cercopithecines in the length of the hallux for species of comparable body size. As a consequence, the role of the hallux in quadrupedal behaviors should be of equal importance for species of both subfamilies. Furthermore, this work supports the conclusions of earlier workers that substrate use has an effect on the length of the hallux. The hallux is reduced in terrestrial forms relative to most arboreal cercopithecids, and enlarged in larger-bodied arboreal forms. The subfamily Colobinae is characterized by the paraxonic condition of the pedal digits with an especially short second digit. Most cercopithecines are characterized by the mesaxonic condition. In colobines, paraxony is combined with a reduced second digit and an unreduced hallux to produce a span that should allow colobines to grasp large diameter branches. The non-hallucial metatarsals in terrestrial cercopithecines are modified so that the metatarsal heads are similar in their distal projection. Thus, forces are distributed equally across the metatarsal heads.
Published Version
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