Primates; journal of primatology
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We investigated allometric relationships between vertebral centrum cranial surface areas and body weight and skeletal lumbar length in extant platyrrhine and cercopithecid species. Platyrrhines have smaller lumbar vertebral centra regarding the cranial surface area relative to their body weight than extant catarrhines. However, the stress to the spine of quadrupeds is not only influenced by the body weight but also its length, which contributes to the amount of bending moment. ⋯ It appeared that lumbar vertebrae of Proconsul nyanzae (KNM-MW 13142) had distinctively smaller surface areas relative to its body weight and lumbar length than for platyrrhines and cercopithecids, differing from extant hominoids, which have comparatively larger lumbar vertebrae. In the case of Morotopithecus, the lumbar vertebral surface area seems to be as large as in extant platyrrhines and cercopithecids if it had a reduced number of lumbar vertebrae. It is uncertain whether its lumbar vertebral surface area was as large as in extant hominoids.