BRACHIATING

["Matthew Troutman" <m_troutman@hotmail.com>]

<<This is still somewhat debated.  Personally, I think the evidence 
favors some remnant of arboreality in early hominids.>>

As do I.  

<<As has been pointed out, arboreal primates are arboreal quadrupeds. 
However, the great apes are very specialized arboreal quadrupeds, called 
brachiators.  That is, they have *greatly* elongated arms they use to 
swing from branch to branch.  (This specialized form of locomotion, 
complete with elongate arms is found convergently in the new-world 
spider monkeys as well).>>

This is what I figured, I didn't speculate on it further because I 
couldn't remember the brachiators from the non-brachiators.

<<Bipedal archosaurs all have a more typical "horizontal" bipedality.  
The origin of this is likely to be quite different.>>

Right on!

<<In the case of hominids, it was due to the overly long arms, derived 
from their unusual use in locomotion.>>

This is what I think.

Matt Troutman

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