What is the difference between knuckle-walkers and palm-walkers?

Primate mammals – apes and monkeys – are either knuckle-walkers or palm-walkers. 

All apes, such as the Chimpanzee, Gorilla, and Orangutan, have no tail.

All monkeys have a tail. 

Apes and monkeys use their front arms to help them walk on all fours (all four appendages). They place their two long front arms and hands on the ground, with either their knuckle on the ground or the palm of the hand on the ground. 

The knuckles are the lumps on the back of the hand at the base of the fingers.

The palms are the soft, cushioned part of the front of the hand. 

So, which ones are knuckle-walkers and which ones are palm-walkers?

The Chimpanzee, Gorilla, and Orangutan place their knuckles on the ground. They are knuckle-walkers. (Humans are primates with no tail, but humans do not walk on their knuckles.)

Monkeys place their palms on the ground. They are palm-walkers. (When humans walk on all fours, they place their palms on the ground). 

Location of photographs: Paris, France and Nairobi, Kenya

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM