![The skeletal structure of a human being (left) and of a gorilla (right)[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]](http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/95/55495-004-84E08ECB.jpg)
Several differences allow the human being to walk erect on two legs with a striding gait rather than move in a knuckle-walking fashion like the gorilla. In the pelvis these differences include shorter ischia, a broader sacrum, and broader, curved-in ilia with a lower iliac crest. In the legs the femurs (thighbones) are relatively long and are set farther apart at the hips than they are at the knees.
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