The Freedom of Letting Go
What kind of primate are you?
In a freshman college biology class I was first introduced to “brachiation” — it’s a form of simian arboreal locomotion. In other words, it’s the way that primates swing around in trees.
Most apes (gorillas, chimps) and old world monkeys (not the same as apes) are semibrachiators. They always maintain a full grip on a branch or vine when they swing. Think of yourself on the monkey bars. Or Tarzan. Swing by swing you move along. Slowly, safely.
Gibbons and many new world monkeys (spider monkeys, howlers), on the other hand, are true brachiators: they swing but let go and fly through the air, catching something on the other side as they move. And they move quickly. Deftly. And very rarely fall from the canopy. If you’re going to be a brachiator, it helps if you not only have long strong arms, but better that you have prehensile feet and tail that each grab like hands; it’s as if you have five arms and you are excellent at catching and holding on. Have you seen a spider monkey? They are built for brachiation.
Humans are semibrachiators, so it comes as no surprise to me that our evolution is closer to the old…
