On the nature of morphology : selected canonical variates analyses of the hominoid hindtarsus and their interpretation

Large-scale distinguishing features of the larger tarsal bones between different species of hominoids may readily be discerned with the naked eye. For example the talus of gorillas is visually quite different from that of humans: characteristic differences in the detail of the body, trochlea, and head may easily be identified. Likewise the calcanei of orangutans may be differentiated unambiguously from those of humans, or indeed from other apes. A visual distinction between the smaller tarsal elements, such as cuneiform bones, in differing hominoid groups is not so obvious, but nevertheless possible.