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The Evolution of the Primate Foot

Anatomy, Function, and Palaeontological Evidence

  • Book
  • © 2022

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Editors:
  1. Angel Zeininger

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

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  2. Kevin G. Hatala

    1. Department of Biology, Chatham University, Pittsburgh, USA

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  3. Roshna E. Wunderlich

    1. Department of Biology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, USA

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  4. Daniel Schmitt

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

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  • Most updated synthesis on the evolution of the nonhuman primate and human foot
  • Essential resource aimed at students and researchers rather than health professionals. Key illustrations in each chapter
  • Companion to The Evolution of the Primate Hand book

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

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Table of contents (17 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Angel Zeininger, Kevin G. Hatala, Roshna E. Wunderlich, Daniel Schmitt
    Pages 1-4

  3. Clinical and Evolutionary Perspectives on the Primate Foot: A Historical and Contemporary View

    • Daniel Schmitt, Bernhard Zipfel, Roshna E. Wunderlich
    Pages 5-18

  4. Primate Foot Anatomy

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 19-19
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    2. The Primate Ankle and Hindfoot

      • Anne Su, Angel Zeininger
      Pages 21-45

    3. The Primate Midfoot and Human Longitudinal Arch

      • Amber N. Heard-Booth, Sharon Kuo, Ellison J. McNutt, Jeremy M. DeSilva
      Pages 47-72

    4. The Primate Forefoot

      • Roshna E. Wunderlich
      Pages 73-109

    5. Myology of the Primate Foot

      • Evie E. Vereecke
      Pages 111-138

    6. The Integument and Associated Structures of the Primate Foot

      • Amanda Kingston, Pierre Lemelin, Daniel Schmitt
      Pages 139-160

  5. Biomechanical and Experimental Studies

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 161-161
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    2. Experimental Research on Foot Use and Function During Climbing by Primates

      • Jandy B. Hanna, Vivek Venkataraman
      Pages 163-197

    3. Foot Posture During Quadrupedal Walking in Primates

      • Angel Zeininger
      Pages 199-218

    4. Primate Foot Use During Bipedal Walking

      • Nicholas B. Holowka
      Pages 219-246

    5. Running in Addition to Walking Helped Shape the Human Foot

      • Daniel E. Lieberman, Nicholas B. Holowka
      Pages 247-273

  6. Palaeontological Evidence

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 275-275
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    2. The Feet of Paleogene Primates

      • Gabriel S. Yapuncich, Stephen G. B. Chester, Jonathan I. Bloch, Doug M. Boyer
      Pages 277-319

    3. Miocene Ape Feet

      • Michelle Drapeau
      Pages 321-359

    4. The Early Hominin Foot

      • Jeremy M. DeSilva, Ellison J. McNutt, Bernhard Zipfel
      Pages 361-385

    5. The Feet of Fossil Homo

      • Kevin G. Hatala, Eve K. Boyle
      Pages 387-413

    6. Pedal Morphology and Locomotor Behavior of the Subfossil Lemurs of Madagascar

      • Michael C. Granatosky
      Pages 415-440
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Keywords

About this book

The human foot is a unique and defining characteristic of our anatomy. Most primates have grasping, prehensile feet, whereas the human foot stands out as a powerful non-grasping propulsive lever that is central to our evolution as adept bipedal walkers and runners and defines our lineage.   Very few books have compiled and evaluated key research on the primate foot and provided a perspective on what we know and what we still need to know. This book serves as an essential companion to “The Evolution of the Primate Hand” volume, also in the Developments in Primatology series. This book includes chapters written by experts in the field of morphology and mechanics of the primate foot, the role of the foot in different aspects of primate locomotion (including but not limited to human bipedalism), the “hard evidence” of primate foot evolution including fossil foot bones and fossil footprints, and the relevance of our foot’s evolutionary history to modern human foot pathology.


This volume addresses three fundamental questions: 


(1) What makes the human foot so different from that of other primates? 
(2) How does the anatomy, biomechanics, and ecological context of the foot and foot use differ among primates and why? 
(3) how did foot anatomy and function change throughout primate and human evolution, and why is this evolutionary history relevant in clinical contexts today?


This co-edited volume, which relies on the insights of leading scholars in primate foot anatomy and evolution provides for the first time a comprehensive review and scholarly discussion of the primate foot from multiple perspectives.  It is accessible to readers at different levels of inquiry (e.g., undergraduate/graduate students, postdoctoral research, other scholars outside of biological anthropology).  This volume provides an all-in‐one resource for research on the comparative and functional morphology and evolution of the primate foot.


Reviews

“The text offers a comprehensive summary of the synthetic methodologies of its 25 contributors, who are exponents of the most cutting-edge methods employed today. The accessible text is supplemented by many figures, tables, and appendixes. This new book is required reading for all scholars in primatology and biological anthropology, regardless of academic level.” (E. J. Sargis, Choice, Vol. 60 (11), 2023)

Editors and Affiliations

  • Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, USA

    Angel Zeininger, Daniel Schmitt

  • Department of Biology, Chatham University, Pittsburgh, USA

    Kevin G. Hatala

  • Department of Biology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, USA

    Roshna E. Wunderlich

About the editors

Angel Zeininger is Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University.  Her work focuses on morphological, experimental, and paleontological analysis of the foot and lower limb of primates, with a special emphasis on development.


Kevin Hatala is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Chatham University.  He studies the fossil evidence for the evolution of primate and especially human locomotion using paleontological, and laboratory and field experimental approaches.


Roshna Wunderlich is a Professor in the Department of Biology at James Madison University. Her work uses laboratory and field experimental studies to understand the function of the primate foot and locomotor ecology in primates.

Daniel Schmitt is a Professor in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University.  He conducts laboratory experiments on limb loading in primates to understand fundamental innovations in primate and human postcranial evolution.

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