Blog Post #4

    I found the article The Pelvis and Femur of Ardipithecus ramidus: The Emergence of Upright Walking to be informative as well as interesting. I found it fascinating that no other primate has a human-like pelvic girdle. We are the only species that can stand upright while walking. I guess I never realized that our legs appear bigger and more muscular due to supporting the weight of our entire body. The article discussed how the hominid pelvis is the most distinct osteological complexes of all primates. It is considered distinct because of its configuration of the superior portion which is responsible for the balance of a single limb while upright walking. The other limb is being supported while the moving limb is able to swing and catch itself. The body is able to remain in the upright position our legs continue to balance as well as move in a forward or backwards movement. I could only imagine how hard it would be to move if our hamstrings were not as adapted to support all of our body weight. The article also discusses the comparisons and difference of our pelvis and leg bones compared to those of other primates. It is difficult to understand why our pelvis evolved so drastically from our primate ancestors. The articles explains our adaptive purposes were for childbirth as well as for survival. I would recommend this article to someone who is interested in our human evolution in regards to our pelvis region.