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Studying Captive Ape Locomotion: Past, Present, and Future

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Primate Locomotion

Part of the book series: Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects ((DIPR))

Abstract

Most of our knowledge regarding primate locomotion, especially biomechanical aspects, results from studies of captive populations, typically in laboratories or zoos. Obviously, a controlled environment facilitates the acquisition of high-quality locomotion data; it has done so in the past and will continue to do so in the future. We start by outlining how primate locomotion has been studied in captive settings, and the sort of insights such studies have yielded. We draw examples from our own research on hylobatids (Hylobates lar, Symphalangus syndactylus) and bonobos (Pan paniscus), carried out using integrated setups in a zoo environment. Locomotion is highly variable in these hominoid species; even in a captive setup, it is inevitably less complex than in the natural habitat. Neither species uses a human-like stiff-legged (inverted pendulum) type of terrestrial locomotion. Bonobos use a highly crouched posture both in bipedal and quadrupedal terrestrial locomotion; lar gibbons use a bouncing gait with potential for energy saving mechanisms in the knee and in the foot. Aspects of arboreal locomotion have been, or are being studied in the three species, using stiff substrates and overhead supports. Next, we discuss some shortcomings of working outside of the natural habitat, ex situ. They pertain most clearly to the limited number of subjects (a result of availability issues and the high level of detail required) and to the relative lack of complexity in the substrates used. Especially during arboreal locomotion, new research lines should be (and are being) started in which spatial complexity and compliance are incorporated in the experimental setup. We are currently using this approach to study jumping off branches and for brachiation in hylobatids. Finally, we make some suggestions of how field work can help meet some of the limitations intrinsic to ex situ studies. Locomotor field studies are complementary to ex situ studies in their capacity to study larger sample sizes (albeit in lesser detail) in their natural environment, thereby documenting, preferably quantitatively, the natural locomotion repertoire, unbiased by human-made setups. Specifically, field studies are crucial for describing the locomotor modes that are actually used by the species studied, and for providing an ecological framework for an integrated approach of primate locomotion.

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  1. Laboratory for Functional Morphology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

    Kristiaan D’Août

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  1. Evie E. Vereecke
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  2. Kristiaan D’Août
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  3. Peter Aerts
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Correspondence to Kristiaan D’Août .

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  1. , Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Antwerp, B-2610, Belgium

    Kristiaan D'Août

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Anatomy, Catholic University Leuven, KULAK, Belgium

    Evie E. Vereecke

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Vereecke, E.E., D’Août, K., Aerts, P. (2011). Studying Captive Ape Locomotion: Past, Present, and Future. In: D'Août, K., Vereecke, E. (eds) Primate Locomotion. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1420-0_3

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