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Proximal Humerus Morphology Indicates Divergent Patterns of Locomotion in Extinct Giant Kangaroos
- Source :
- Janis, C M, Napoli, J G, Billingham, C & Martín-Serra, A 2020, ' Proximal Humerus Morphology Indicates Divergent Patterns of Locomotion in Extinct Giant Kangaroos ', Journal of Mammalian Evolution, vol. 2020 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-019-09494-5
- Publication Year :
- 2020
-
Abstract
- Sthenurine kangaroos, extinct “giant kangaroos” known predominantly from the Plio-Pleistocene, have been proposed to have used bipedal striding as a mode of locomotion, based on the morphology of their hind limbs. However, sthenurine forelimb morphology has not been considered in this context, and has important bearing as to whether these kangaroos employed quadrupedal or pentapedal locomotion as a slow gait, as in extant kangaroos. Study of the correlation of morphology of the proximal humerus in a broad range of therian mammals shows that humeral morphology is indicative of the degree of weight-bearing on the forelimbs during locomotion, with terrestrial species being distinctly different from arboreal ones. Extant kangaroos have a proximal humeral morphology similar to extant scansorial (semi-arboreal) mammals, but sthenurine humeri resemble those of suspensory arboreal taxa, which rarely bear weight on their forelimbs, supporting the hypothesis that they used bipedal striding rather than quadrupedal locomotion at slow gaits. The humeral morphology of the enigmatic extinct “giant wallaby,” Protemnodon, may be indicative of a greater extent of quadrupedal locomotion than in extant kangaroos.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
Macropodidae
0303 health sciences
Arboreal locomotion
Protemnodon
Morphology (biology)
Context (language use)
Biology
Humerus
biology.organism_classification
010603 evolutionary biology
01 natural sciences
Gait
Functional anatomy
03 medical and health sciences
Quadrupedalism
Evolutionary biology
Macropodoidea
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Locomotion
Sthenurinae
030304 developmental biology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Janis, C M, Napoli, J G, Billingham, C & Martín-Serra, A 2020, ' Proximal Humerus Morphology Indicates Divergent Patterns of Locomotion in Extinct Giant Kangaroos ', Journal of Mammalian Evolution, vol. 2020 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-019-09494-5
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....76d143e1e83a61f220cdc2d2ab49e67b
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-019-09494-5