Get a Grip!

List of different ways of holding different objects with one hand

• ·      Grip
• ·      Grab
• ·      Cripping with thumb and index finger.
• ·      Four fingers at 1 side of the object and thumb at the other side.
• ·      Four fingers curled around the object (small/thin/long), thumb curled in contac with other four fingers.
• ·      Palm and four fingers curling around the object
• ·      Index and midlle finger “pinching”. (scissors)

and etc. . .

Observation and Drawing of how I hold my water bottle.


Four fingers are at one side of the water bottle and my thumb is at the other side. The water bottle is facing front. It is bent towards the left. 

Observation of how the gorrila move about and use their arms, legs, hands and feet

Gorillas have larger muscles in their arms than in their legs. This is primarily due to the fact that they use their increased arm strenth for bending and gathering foliage and for defence. Gorillas most often walk quadrupedally (four-footed) with limited bipedal (two-footed) movements. Gorillas and chimpanzees have a distinctive walk called knucle-walking. The walk derived its name because they walk on their knuckles, not on their palms.

Thumb and big toe of gorillas oppose the other digits (fingers/toes), enabling them to grasp and manipulate objects.

Questions on primates move.

Why do primates mostly walk on their knuckles instead of palms?

Will there be a difference of strength and effort put in by the gorilla when they walk with their knuckles instead of palms?

Do primates use their tails to move around?

How long can they walk on their knuckles?

A. In what way do you think the thumb is important to the way humans use their hands?

It helps in grasping things as it helps to support the object we are trying to hold. Even though it is not opposing the other four fingers, without it, we will be unable to do a lot of things with our hand.

B.  Look back at your record of observations of the way other primates use their hands?

   1.   In what ways do they use their thumbs?

   They use their thumbs to grasp things such as tree branch.

1.   How are those ways different from what you just discovered about how humans use their thumbs?

Primates use their opposable thumb for movement purposes wile human use their opposable thumb to hold on something which is mainly for support.