ABSTRACT
The functional morphology of vertebral pairs summates in action so that one observes movement potential or leverage functions for the whole region. The evolutionary emergence of the vertebral column in the array of primates will be illuminated. The analysis of sacrocaudal relations provides an example of function deduced from morphology. Primates are divided into locomotor categories. The search then begins for morphological support for the categories. The sacroiliac joint varies with the relative magnitude of locomotor stresses. Locomotor categories can be applied easily to limb anatomy. In addition to limb anatomy, one must also know what can reasonably be deduced from single vertebrae or from fragments of vertebrae. Fossil series demonstrate that the odontoid process is homologous with the vertebral body of the atlas. The vertebral bodies of Hominoidea are broader than long, and it is most pronounced in human thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. Lumbar vertebrae have prominent transverse processes.
