Brachiation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brachiation (to brachiate) means to move by swinging with the arms from one hold to another (like one maneuvers on an Overhead ladder); for example through a tree, using branches as holds. Many primates use this method to move through forest quickly. True brachiation is only seen in lesser apes (gibbons) and spider monkeys. In some cases, especially in lesser apes, the animal can go through the tree faster than a human running on the ground.
Brachiation in humans is considered by anthropologists to be a preadaptation to bipedialism.
[edit] See also
