title: Segmental morphometrics of the olive baboon (Papio anubis): a longitudinal study from birth to adulthood.
abstract: The linear dimensions and inertial characteristics of the body are important in locomotion and they change considerably during the ontogeny of animals, including humans. This longitudinal and ontogenetic study has produced the largest dataset to date of segmental morphometrics in a Catarrhini species, the olive baboon. The objectives of the study were to quantify the changes in body linear and inertial dimensions and to explore their (theoretical) mechanical significance for locomotion. We took full-body measurements of captive individuals at regular intervals. Altogether, 14 females and 16 males were followed over a 7-year period, i.e. from infancy to adulthood. Our results show that individual patterns of growth are very consistent and follow the general growth pattern previously described in olive baboons. Furthermore, we obtained similar growth curve structures for segment lengths and masses, although the respective time scales were slightly different. The most significant changes in body morphometrics occurred during the first 2 years of life and concerned the distal parts of the body. Females and males were similar in size and shape at birth. The rate and duration of growth produced substantial size-related differences throughout ontogeny, while body shapes remained very similar between the sexes. We also observed significant age-related variations in limb composition, with a proximal shift of the centre of mass within the limbs, mainly due to changes in mass distribution and in the length of distal segments. Finally, we observed what we hypothesize to be 'early biomechanical optimization' of the limbs for quadrupedal walking. This is due to a high degree of convergence between the limbs' natural pendular periods in infants, which may facilitate the onset of quadrupedal walking. Furthermore, the mechanical significance of the morphological changes observed in growing baboons may be related to changing functional demands with the onset of autonomous (quadrupedal) locomotion. From a wider perspective, these data provide unique insights into questions surrounding both the processes of locomotor development in primates and how these processes might evolve.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Functional Morphology, Biology Department, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.|Département de Préhistoire, Musée de l'Homme, UMR 7194 CNRS-MNHN, Paris, France.|Primatology Station, UPS 846 CNRS, Rousset-sur-Arc, France.
authors.forename: François
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9680-6401
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Druelle
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Functional Morphology, Biology Department, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.|Biomechanics and Motor Control of Human Movement, Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aerts
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Kristiaan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: D'Août
authors.affiliation: Primatology Station, UPS 846 CNRS, Rousset-sur-Arc, France.
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Moulin
authors.affiliation: Département de Préhistoire, Musée de l'Homme, UMR 7194 CNRS-MNHN, Paris, France.|Primatology Station, UPS 846 CNRS, Rousset-sur-Arc, France.
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Berillon
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D048530:Papio anubis / Q000254:growth & development*; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: 
  Papio anubis
  ; development; inertial properties; locomotion; primate model