ANT-2230 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Australopithecine, Toe, Quadrupedalism
16 Aug 2016
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Document Summary
Australopithecines were apes but the primary thing that sets them apart from other apes is that they were bipedal. Early australopithecines were not built the way we are today; they had ape bodies. Start having anatomical changes that help them support their body weight on an upright frame instead of on arms and legs, helping them gain balance and stability that is needed for walking bipedally. Australopithecines are not fully bipedal, not obligate bipeds: Humans are not born with curvature in our spines. Apes and human infants are born with only two curves in their spine instead of four like adult humans. Humans get more curvature in their spine (lordosis) as we begin to walk bipedally. Big toe needs to move in line with the other toes. Lack of opposability of big toe (hallux) Humans do not have opposable halluces, apes do. Pelvis is the fulcrum of the body.
