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Pedal Morphology and Locomotor Behavior of the Subfossil Lemurs of Madagascar

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The Evolution of the Primate Foot

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

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Abstract

The subfossil lemurs of Madagascar have been discussed and studied in great detail due to their remarkable preservation, phylogenetic history, and locomotor convergence with a number of extant taxa. This chapter highlights these discussions with particular focus on the variation in pedal morphology observed across the three extinct families of subfossil lemur. Special attention is given to locomotor and foot loading behavior of the palaeopropithecids, colloquially known as the sloth lemurs. These animals represent the only primate lineage to become specialized for below branch quadrupedal locomotion, and, by necessity, the ability to bear tensile loads in the foot. Unfortunately, discussion of the anatomy of the sloth lemur foot, and its ability to bear tensile loads in general has been limited, and a thorough discussion of the mechanical and anatomical traits associated with tensile loading in a primate foot has yet to be compiled. This chapter is broken down into distinct sections focusing on phylogeny, anatomy, and mechanics that will come together for the reader into a holistic view of the locomotor adaptations in the feet of the extinct subfossil lemurs of Madagascar.

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Acknowledgments

I thank the editors of this volume for the opportunity to share my thoughts on the subject, and for improving the overall quality of this work. I thank Gregg Gunnell and Gabriel Yapuncich for helpful discussion and aid in figure preparation. This research was funded in part by the Leakey Foundation, Force and Motion Foundation, and the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY, USA

    Michael C. Granatosky

  2. Center for Biomedical Innovation, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY, USA

    Michael C. Granatosky

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  1. Michael C. Granatosky
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Correspondence to Michael C. Granatosky .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Angel Zeininger

  2. Department of Biology, Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Kevin G. Hatala

  3. Department of Biology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA, USA

    Roshna E. Wunderlich

  4. Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Daniel Schmitt

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Granatosky, M.C. (2022). Pedal Morphology and Locomotor Behavior of the Subfossil Lemurs of Madagascar. In: Zeininger, A., Hatala, K.G., Wunderlich, R.E., Schmitt, D. (eds) The Evolution of the Primate Foot. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06436-4_16

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