Bipedalism

Bipedalism was an adaption that our ancestors developed as a necessity due to their surroundings and changes in living environment. Being able to tell if a creature was bipedal is possible by the different aspects of the skeleton like the shape or length of the bones. The curvature of the lumbar section of the spine in humans helps to bring the center of gravity over the feet and closer to the midline of the body as apposed to  most quadrupeds who's center of gravity is located near the middle of the torso. The number and size of the lumbar vertebrae is different between humans and apes. The larger size and number of lumbar vertebrae allows for a more flexible back to help with the hips and trunk when walking.

Comments

  1. great! nice pic here too that really drives home the point. I struggle with thinking about these things but images work very well here

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