Rethinking primate locomotion: what can we learn from development?

Contemporary understanding about primate locomotion has largely been conditioned by studies of adults. It is as yet uncertain how locomotor behavior emerges during ontogeny or the life history of an individual (Gould, 1977). This article explores the manner in which changes in body size, proportions, and composition that occur during growth can potentially influence motor output, substrate selection, and structural design. A central theme explicit in this article is that growth provides an important source of morphological change, both regulating and generating motor behavior and substrate use. It is emphasized that morphology, behavior, and substrate use are integrated and should be investigated in tandem.