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Australopithecus Gait

 

In our opinion, the ligamentum teres or ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) in Australopithecus afarensis determined the gait. Its pelvis moved in the frontal plane similar to that of a modern human. In the horizontal plane, the rotational movements of the Australopithecus pelvis were carried out with a significantly smaller amplitude. Presumably Australopithecus afarensis had relatively shorter steps than Homo sapiens. During walking, the shoulder girdle was positioned in the frontal plane, and the arms exhibited minimal oscillation in the sagittal plane.

Illustration:

Comparative analysis of LCF movements
On the right is the acetabulum of Homo sapiens (photo by the author); on the left is the acetabulum of Australopithecus afarensis 3D model of the pelvis (fragment of a screenshot from sketchfab.com); The distal end of the LCF (ligamentum teres) in Australopithecus moved in the horizontal plane in the acetabulum fossa with a smaller amplitude than in modern humans.

keywords: ligamentum capitis femoris, ligament of head of femur, ligamentum teres, anatomy, paleontology, gait, australopithecus

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