Electromyography of knuckle‐walking: Results of four experiments on the forearm of Pan gorilla

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Preliminary results of electromyographic (EMG) studies on the forearm of a gorilla provisionally support the hypothesis that special closepacked positioning mechanisms may characterize the wrist and metacarpophalangeal joints II–V in extant knuckle‐walkers (chimpanzees and gorillas).We recommend that once the bony features, related to these close‐packed positions are clearly identified, they may be employed strategically to discern evidence of a knuckle‐walking heritage in the hands of extant hominoids, including man, and to trace the history of knuckle‐walking in available fossils.This report contains results of the first successful employment of indwelling fine‐wire electrode techniques to elucidate problems on the functional and evolutionary biology of great apes.