Ape index

Uncommon card · No. 189753

Ape index, ape factor, or gorilla index is slang or jargon used to describe a measure of the ratio of an individual's arm span relative to their height. A typical ratio is said to be 1, as identified by the Roman writer, architect and engineer Vitruvius prior to 15 BC. Vitruvius noted that a "well made man" has an arm span equal to his height, as exemplified in Leonardo da Vinci's c. 1492 drawing, the Vitruvian Man. However, newer surveys of the population have found it more typical for men to have ape indices greater than 1, with 1.03 to 1.04 being seen as the average range in surveys of Americans. In rock climbing it is believed that an ape index greater than one, where the arm span is greater than the height, provides for a competitive advantage, and some climbers have expressed the belief that exercise can result in an improved ratio, although this view is somewhat controversial.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain