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F P Lisowski

Publications and source records attributed to F P Lisowski.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1980

Functional articulation of some hominoid foot bones: implications for the Olduvai (hominid 8) foot.

Previous observations on twelve fossil foot bones (Olduvai 8: Day and Napier, '64) together with multivariate morphometric studies of one of them, the talus (Day and Wood, '68) suggested human-like bipedality for this foot. Subsequent studies showed the conclusions on the talus to be wrong: The fossil talus, as defined by eight measures, does not resemble that of man but is reminiscent of those of creatures known (extant--orangutans) or believed (extinct--some fossil apes and monkeys) to be arboreal in habitus (Oxnard '72; Lisowski, et al., '74, '76). A reassessment of the entire Olduvai 8 foot is therefore necessary to answer the problem posed by a foot that has a non-human talus with, apparently, a human arched pattern of the remaining tarsal and metatarsal bones. The dry bones of a series of feet of extant hominoids have been rearticulated and are found to be close to the actual relationships presented by dissected specimens in which ligaments, articular cartilages and soft tissues are present. Similar rearticulation applied to casts of the individual Olduvai foot bones produces a structure that is not arched in the same manner as the human foot; it displays features that ally it more closely with the feet of various apes. Sections of casts of the already rearticulated Olduvai foot (from both the Wenner Gren Foundation and the Kenya National Museums) show that the human-like appearance of the original rearticulation is due to a series of incorrect osteological alignments. Although casts do not permit study of surface features, the dimensions of the casts are sufficiently accurate to permit rearticulation in this manner. It is thus clear, a) that the Olduvai foot is not adated for bipedality in the manner of man, and b) that it displays features in which it resembles the feet of arboreal creatures. Such anatomical characters as relate to bipedality in the fossil suggest usage as in an arboreal species that also walks bipedally with flattened arches (like a chimpanzee or gorilla) rather than with the high arches of man.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

In memoriam.

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Anatomy↗
PubMed1976

African fossil tali: further multivariate morphometric studies.

Analysis of measurements from the tali of 21 individual fossil primates from Africa shows that the specimens fall into five clearly defined groups. Accordingly, these specimens have been included as groups along with extant species in a subsequent canonical analysis thus allowing the fossils to play their part in the determination of the canonical separations. The results of this procedure show that the five fossil groups lie in a part of the canonical space not occupied by any extant African primate. Their positions are between the envelope of Asiatic apes (Hylobates and Pongo) and the envelope of African forms near the edge which contains Pan and Papio. One fossil group is so similar to Hylobates that its talus may have functioned in locomotion in a parallel manner. Others lie near to Pongo in directions proceeding towards Pan and Papio and it is possible that this similarity may indicate remnants of morphological adaptation for climbing in these fossils. At the same time, however, individual specimens are closer to one or another of the extant groups and this considerable spread suggests that the locomotor adaptations as evidenced by talar morphology, of the primate fauna in Africa, may have been very different from those of the present day. This would not the inconsistent with the different habitats, floras and non-primate faunas that may have characterized the East African scene at these earlier times. Particular fossils from Olduvai and Kromdraai that are supposed to be australopithecine and therefore bipeds, are confirmed (Oxnard, '72; Lisowski et al., '74) as being totally different from man in their talar morphology and essentially rather similar to the majority of the other fossil tali examined.

Africa↗