We all have our favorite anatomical words.
Just for the way it sounds, brachiator is one of ours.
Brake—eee—ay—tor.
It rolls off the tongue.
From the Latin word brachiatus, with branches like arms.
Except in the case of anatomy it means tree-swingers.
Arm travelers.
To watch Jon Zahourek do his dance-like impersonation of an arm-traveling chimp, and make a point about the relative size of shoulders and hips, check the brief video below:
In humans, the pivoting shoulder joint is evidence of our evolution from the days when we were everyday brachiators, swinging through the arboreal world and staying out of harm’s way from the scary beasts on the jungle floor.
That shoulder joint and its exquisite range of motion makes for the intricate muscular forms within—and one of the most fascinating joints to study.
And build.
What a great word.
Final thought: shouldn’t there be a superhero named Brachiator? Hollywood, you’re welcome.
Did you know that the MANIKEN® Classic 2 Strolling Model has an alternate arm? It's as if one arm is brachiating, and the other is in SAP.
View complete collection of "Anatomy Insights with Jon Zahourek" videos.
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