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We investigated the energetic costs of quadrupedal and bipedal walking in two Japanese macaques. The subjects were engaged in traditional bipedal performance for years, and are extremely adept bipeds. The experiment was conducted in an airtight chamber with a gas analyzer. The subjects walked quadrupedally and bipedally at fixed velocities (] Science 179:186–187) noted that the energetic costs for bipedal and quadrupedal walking were the same in chimpanzees and capuchin monkeys. Although the reason for this inconsistency is not clear, species‐specific differences should be considered regarding bipedal locomotor energetics among nonhuman primates. Extra costs for bipedalism may not be great in these macaques. Indeed, it is known that suspensory locomotion in Ateles consumes 1.3–1.4 times as much energy relative to quadrupedal progression. This excess ratio surpasses the bipedal/quadrupedal energetic ratios in these macaques. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

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