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Title: Vertical Clinging and Leaping Ahead: How Bamboo Has Shaped the Anatomy and Physiology of Hapalemur
ABSTRACT

Hapalemur sps. andProlemur simus(bamboo lemurs, collectively) stand out from the relatively homogeneous lemurids because they are bamboo feeders and vertical clingers and leapers. This unique diet presents equally unique challenges, like its verticality, toughness, and toxicity. The bamboo lemurs share the generalized anatomy of the other lemurids, but also display some well‐documented skeletal adaptations, perhaps to overcome the problems presented by their specialization. Soft‐tissue adaptations, however, remain largely unexplored. Explored here are possible soft‐tissue adaptations inHapalemur griseus. We compareH.griseuswith other lemurids,Propithecus,Galago,Tarsier, and a tree shrew. Based on the available anatomical and physiological data, we hypothesize thatHapalemurandProlemurspecies will have differences in hindlimb morphology when compared with other lemurids. We predict thatH.griseuswill have more hindlimb muscle mass and will amplify muscle mass differences with increased type II muscle fibers. Relative hindlimb muscle mass inH.griseusis less than other prosimians sampled, yet relative sural muscle mass is significantly heavier (P< 0.01) inH.griseus. Results show that the soleus muscle ofH.griseushas a higher amount of type II (fast) fibers in plantarflexors. These findings indicate althoughH.griseusshares some generalized lemurid morphology, its diet of bamboo may have pushed this generalized lemurid to an anatomical extreme. We suspect additional bamboo‐specific adaptations in their anatomy and physiology will be uncovered with further examination into the anatomy of the bamboo lemurs. Anat Rec, 2019. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Anat Rec, 303:295–307, 2020. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy

 
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PAR ID:
10459627
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  
Publisher / Repository:
Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
Date Published:
Journal Name:
The Anatomical Record
Volume:
303
Issue:
2
ISSN:
1932-8486
Page Range / eLocation ID:
p. 295-307
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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