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human evolution





 




Skeletal Details

Human femur

This modern Homo sapiens bone shows the structure of the femur of an upright walker or bipedal animal. The ball joint, the part that joins the pelvis, sits directly over the outside of the knee. (quadrupedal animals have femurs in which the ball joint, the part that joins the pelvis, sits directly over the inside of the knee.) The angle subtended by the femur at the knee in bipedal walkers is greater than that of quadrupedal walkers. This results in the inner bump of the knee joint being longer than the outer bump.

human femur
human femur
human femur

Other skeletal details
Hand of Australopithecus afarensis
Human hand
Fossilised right femur of Homo habilis

More information
Femurs of upright walkers