title: Dimensions of the foot muscles in the lowland gorilla.
abstract: We dissected the hindlimb of a female western lowland gorilla and determined the muscle dimensions (mass, fascicle length, and physiological cross-sectional area: PCSA). Comparisons of the muscle parameters of the measured gorilla with corresponding reported human data demonstrated that the triceps surae muscles were larger and had more capacity to generate force than the other muscle groups in both species, but this tendency was more prominent in the human, probably as an adaptation to strong toe-off during bipedal walking. On the other hand, PCSAs of the extrinsic pedal digital flexors and digiti minimi muscles were larger in the western lowland gorilla, suggesting that the foot, particularly the fifth toe, has a relatively high grasping capability in the lowland gorilla.
authors: First Department of Anatomy, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, 1-17-71, Fuchinobe, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 229-8501, Japan. dv0502@azabu-u.ac.jp
authors: Motoharu
authors: M
authors: Oishi
authors: Naomichi
authors: N
authors: Ogihara
authors: Hideki
authors: H
authors: Endo
authors: Teruyuki
authors: T
authors: Komiya
authors: Shin-Ichiro
authors: S
authors: Kawada
authors: Tae
authors: T
authors: Tomiyama
authors: Yosuke
authors: Y
authors: Sugiura
authors: Nobutsune
authors: N
authors: Ichihara
authors: Masao
authors: M
authors: Asari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006071:Gorilla gorilla / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000033:anatomy & histology*