What is a characteristic of suspensory quadrupeds?

Suspensory quadrupeds are characterized by their adaptations for climbing and swinging through trees, often seen in species such as certain primates. Long fingers and, in many cases, the absence of a tail are essential traits that facilitate this mode of movement. The long fingers provide the gripping ability needed to hang from branches and manipulate their environment effectively, allowing for greater agility and stability while navigating the arboreal landscape.

The absence of a tail, or a reduced tail, is often found in suspensory quadrupeds because it reduces weight and avoids potential interference when moving through the trees. Overall, these adaptations are crucial for survival in their specific ecological niches, emphasizing their reliance on arboreal locomotion.

While other characteristics such as limb length, body size, and body shape can be associated with different forms of locomotion or adaptations, they do not specifically define suspensory quadrupeds in the same way that the adaptation of long fingers and sometimes the lack of a tail do.