brachiation
Swinging through trees
Brachiation is a form of locomotion in which an animal swings from branch to branch using its arms, as gibbons and some other primates do.
The motion involves hanging from one handhold, swinging forward, and grasping another—a fluid, pendulum-like movement through the trees.
Humans retain anatomical traces of brachiating ancestors in our shoulder structure.
Tailless tree-dwelling primate
- siamangLarge black gibbon
- orangutanLarge red-haired Asian ape
- apeTailless higher primate
- hominoidTailless primate classification
simian · primate · tailless · anthropoid · primatology · evolution · endangered · arboreal
Climbing with sequential grips
- swingingMoving in arcs
- pendulumSuspended swinging weight
- momentumProduct of mass, velocity
- overheadLocated directly above
forelimbs · propulsion · trajectory · arc · oscillation · climbing · mobility · kinetics
Overhead protective covering
- treetopsUppermost forest branches
- forestTree-dense ecosystem
- jungleDense tropical forest
- rainforestWet tropical woodland ecosystem
woodland · habitat · vines · lianas · perch · understory · emergent · crown
Anterior paired appendages
- shoulderUpper arm joint
- gripSecure manual hold
- prehensileAdapted for grasping
- opposableAble to be resisted
fingers · wrist · elbow · joint · flexibility · musculature · tendons · ligaments
gibbon
Tailless tree-dwelling primate
hominoid · simian · primate · tailless · anthropoid · primatology · evolution · endangered · arboreal
hand-over-hand
Climbing with sequential grips
overhead · forelimbs · propulsion · trajectory · arc · oscillation · climbing · mobility · kinetics · musculature
canopy
Overhead protective covering
rainforest · woodland · habitat · vines · lianas · perch · understory · emergent · crown · tree-dwelling
forelimbs
Anterior paired appendages
- shoulderUpper arm joint
- gripSecure manual hold
- prehensileAdapted for grasping
opposable · fingers · wrist · elbow · joint · flexibility · musculature · tendons · ligaments · ball-and-socket
brachiationwalking
Locomotion on foot
bipedalism · running · crawling · knuckle-walking · slithering
embrace, bracelet, branches, branching, branchless, branchial, branchlet, brachial, brachium