knuckle-walking
Gorilla's typical gait
Knuckle-walking is a form of locomotion in which an animal walks on all fours with the front limbs supported on the knuckles rather than flat palms.
Gorillas and chimpanzees move this way, curling their fingers inward so their weight rests on the middle bones.
The posture allows great apes to walk on the ground while keeping hands adapted for grasping.
Largest great ape
- chimpanzeeGreat ape, genus Pan
- bonoboCongo Basin great ape
- silverbackAdult male gorilla
- hominidBipedal primate family
Supporting physical mass
- ambulationMovement by walking
- progressionSequential forward movement
- mobilityCapacity for movement
- strideExtended single footstep
Bones connecting wrist to fingers
gorilla
Largest great ape
- chimpanzeeGreat ape, genus Pan
- bonoboCongo Basin great ape
- silverbackAdult male gorilla
weight-bearing
Supporting physical mass
- ambulationMovement by walking
- progressionSequential forward movement
- mobilityCapacity for movement
metacarpals
Bones connecting wrist to fingers
phylogeny
Evolutionary relationships among organisms
- animal gaitstrotting, galloping, canter, cantering, pacing
- primate traitsopposable thumbs, grasping hands, prehensile, binocular vision, arboreal
- primatesape, apes, baboon, baboons, monkey
knuckle-walkingbipedalism
Walking on two limbs
brachiation · hopping · striding · running · slithering
walk, walking, walker, knuckle, knuckles, knuckled, knuckling, knuckleball, knucklebones