Schmitt D, Larson S G
Department of Anatomical Science, School of Medicine, State University of New York, Stony Brook 11794, USA.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 1995 Jan;96(1):39-50. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330960105.
In this report we provide detailed data on the patterns and frequency of heel contact with terrestrial and arboreal supports in primates. These data can help resolve the question of whether African apes and humans are uniquely "plantigrade" (Gebo [1992] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 89:29-58; Gebo [1993a] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 91:382-385; Gebo [1993b] Postcranial Adaptation in Nonhuman Primates), or if plantigrady is common in other primates (Meldrum [1993] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 91:379-381). Using biplanar and uniplanar videotapes, we recorded the frequency and timing of heel contact for a variety of primates (32 species) walking on the ground and on simulated arboreal supports at a range of natural speeds. Our results indicate that Pongo as well as the African apes exhibit a "heel-strike" at the end of swing phase. Ateles and Hylobates make heel contact on all supports shortly after mid-foot contact, although spider monkeys do so only at slow or moderate speeds. Data available from uniplanar videotapes suggest that this pattern occurs in Alouatta and Lagothrix as well. No other New or Old World monkey or prosimian in this study made heel contact during quadrupedalism on any substrate. Thus, heel contact occurs in all apes and atelines, but only the great apes exhibit a heel-strike. We suggest that heel contact with the substrate is a by-product of an active posterior weight-shift mechanism involving highly protracted hindlimbs at touchdown. Force plate studies indicate that this mechanism is most extreme in arboreally adapted primate quadrupeds walking on arboreal supports. Although heel contact and heel-strike may have no evolutionary link, it is possible that both patterns are the result of a similar weight shift mechanism. Therefore, the regular occurrence of heel contact in a variety of arboreal primates, and the absence of a true biomechanical link between limb elongation, heel contact, and terrestriality, calls into question the claim that hominid foot posture was necessarily derived from a quadrupedal terrestrial ancestor.
在本报告中，我们提供了关于灵长类动物足跟接触地面和树栖支撑物的模式及频率的详细数据。这些数据有助于解决非洲猿类和人类是否独特地为“跖行性”（格博[1992]《美国体质人类学杂志》89:29 - 58；格博[1993a]《美国体质人类学杂志》91:382 - 385；格博[1993b]《非人类灵长类动物的颅后适应》）这一问题，或者跖行性在其他灵长类动物中是否常见（梅尔德伦[1993]《美国体质人类学杂志》91:379 - 381）。我们使用双平面和单平面录像带，记录了多种灵长类动物（32个物种）在地面和模拟树栖支撑物上以一系列自然速度行走时足跟接触的频率和时间。我们的结果表明，猩猩以及非洲猿类在摆动阶段结束时表现出“足跟撞击”。蛛猴和长臂猿在中足接触后不久在所有支撑物上都会足跟接触，不过蜘蛛猴仅在慢速或中等速度时才会如此。单平面录像带提供的数据表明，这种模式在绒毛猴和绒毛蛛猴中也会出现。在本研究中，没有其他新大陆或旧大陆猴类或原猴类在任何基质上四足行走时会足跟接触。因此，足跟接触在所有猿类和蛛猴科动物中都会出现，但只有大猩猩表现出足跟撞击。我们认为，足跟与基质的接触是一种主动的后向重量转移机制的副产品，该机制涉及着地时高度伸展的后肢。力板研究表明，这种机制在适应树栖生活的灵长类四足动物在树栖支撑物上行走时最为极端。尽管足跟接触和足跟撞击可能没有进化上的联系，但这两种模式有可能都是类似重量转移机制的结果。因此，多种树栖灵长类动物中经常出现足跟接触，以及肢体伸长、足跟接触和陆栖性之间缺乏真正的生物力学联系，这对人类足部姿势必然源自四足陆栖祖先这一说法提出了质疑。
