Question

Hindlimbs are more powerful, stout and developed than the forelimbs. Explain.

Answer 1

We walk, run and jump with the help of hind limbs rather than forelimbs. Forelimbs are mostly preferred as hands which help to hold, touch, and climb..

Complete answer:
Hindlimbs are more powerful, stout and developed than the forelimbs. This is mainly because our hindlimbs are made up of the largest bones in our body, the femurs.

The forelimbs or generally the arms, consists of three parts; upper arm, forearm and hand. It is attached to the anterior part of our body. Every vertebrate forelimbs are homologous structures. But their specific uses vary from species to species, being analogous in nature. It can be used as hands for primates, flippers of dolphins and turtles, and the wings of birds and bats.

The hindlimbs or more generally, the legs occur in most of the quadrupeds. It is attached to the posterior end of the body. Bipedalism is the way we walk using hindlimbs. Animals like kangaroo rats survive their environment using hindlimbs, and they are also long jumpers who can jump up to almost 18 feet. Birds use hindlimbs for walking to find food. Frogs have 4 digits in forelimbs while there are 5 digits in hindlimbs.

Note: The hindlimbs are mainly involved in primary propulsive activities, while the forelimbs are involved in maintaining stability. In humans and apes, they are mainly involved in manipulating their surrounding environment.