"Kinematics & Kinetics of Bipedalism in Propithecus verreauxi"
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Dr. Roshna Wunderlich
James Madison University
Sifakas are well known for their exceptional abilities as vertical clingers and leapers in the trees, however little is known of their unusual form of terrestrial bipedalism. Bipedalism is rare among mammals, but it has evolved in two very different primate groups, hominoids (apes and humans) and strepsirrhines. We are studying the biomechanics of bipedal locomotion in sifakas to address the mechanisms by which this highly specialized vertical clinger and leaper transitions to movement in a structurally different environment with a different set of constraints. We are measuring joint and segment movement as well as ground reaction forces and plantar pressure distribution in sifakas in a large outdoor enclosure. We are also quantifying the contributions of tail and arm movements to sifaka bipedalism using video analysis and mathematical modeling.