Dissertation Research: Age-Related Shape Change in the Scapula of Gorilla.

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Experimental studies in laboratory animals have demonstrated that bony morphology responds ontogenetically to behavioral modification. The scapula, in particular, has been shown to be very plastic during growth. Locomotor behavior often changes with increase in body size, and it is well known that locomotor behavior of the gorilla changes with ontogeny. Thus, this study is designed to investigate ontogenetic shape change in the scapula of two subspecies of gorilla, the largest extant primate. Scapular shape will be assessed both by traditional linear measurements and by shape indices. Nearly 400 scapulae from several museums will be studied. Tensor biometrics will also be used to assess scapular shape independent of size, and multivariate tests will be used to test for differences between male and female and for age-related differences. The results of this comparative study will be useful for making predictions about locomotor behavior which can then be tested in the wild.