Reports

HOPE Report No.23, 8th, December 2004.

Program No.23 (Joint research)

Masato Nakatsukasa Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Associate Professor

Place of visit: Natural History Museum, Berlin, Germany
 and Anthropological Museum, Zurich University, Zurich, Switzerland

Term of trip: From Nov. 14, 2004 to Dec. 5, 2004.11.24

Evolution of primate axial skeleton

Currently known Miocene hominoids from East Africa exhibit a relatively small lumbar vertebral articular surface when it is scaled on their presumed body mass. To explain this phenomenon, scaling relationships between body mass, lumbar segmental length, and lumbar vertebral body surface area were investigated in living primate taxa (hominoids, Cercopithecidae, Ceboidea, Lemuriformes, Galaginae, and Lorisinae). 

Tentative results are as follows. Cercopithecids have a large lumbar surface area relative to the body mass compared to platyrrhines (up-shift). However, this up-shift is cancelled when the lumbar vertebral surface area is scaled on the body mass and lumbar segmental length. Among prosimians, Lemuriformes, Galaginae, and Lorisinae exhibit a same scaling trend about the lumbar vertebral surface area relative to the body mass as well as to the product of the body mass and lumbar segmental length.

Humboldt University, Berlin

Beside the Limmat river, Zurich