Scapular Morphology and Forelimb Use during Foraging in Four Sympatric Cercopithecids

Abstract

Most investigations of primate scapular morphology use differences in locomotion to explain variation; less is known about how scapular geometry covaries with nonlocomotor behavior. We examined forelimb use during foraging in 4 cercopithecids ranging throughout the Ivory Coast's Tai Forest. During 5-min feeding bouts, we recorded the frequency individuals of Piliocolobus badius, Colobus polykomos, Cercocebus atys and Cercopithecus diana performed 5 forelimb behaviors involved in the acquisition and introduction of food to the oral cavity. Scapulae from these populations were examined to determine whether differences in forelimb use were reflected in features known to correspond with varying degrees of arm flexion, abduction and elevation. Our results reveal that the species differ markedly in forelimb use and that these differences are interpretable via their scapular morphology. For example, P. badius engages in more frequent flexion, abduction and elevation of the arm above the head relative to C. polykomos, and red colobus scapulae are longer craniocaudally and have larger, more cranially directed supraspinous fossae than those of closely related black-and-white colobus. Our attempt to explore how nonlocomotor behavior covaries with skeletal morphology should provide for more informed interpretations of the primate fossil record.