among hominids in having a flexor pollicis longus (FPL) muscle belly that is separate from that of the flexor digitorum profundus (FDP). While the FPL is not a separate muscle belly in extant great apes, a distinct tendon from the FDP belly might be present. In some individuals, this tendon tend to act more like a ligament, which restricts extension of the interphalangeal joint of the thumb. In orangutans there is a tendon similar in insertion and function to the FPL in humans, but which has an intrinsic origin on the oblique head of the adductor pollicis. Lesser apes (i.e. gibbons) and Old World monkeys (e.g. baboons) share an extrinsic FPL muscle tendon with humans. In most lesser apes, the FPL belly is separate from the FDP belly, but in baboons, the FPL tendon bifurcates from the FDP tendon at the wrist within the carpal tunnel and, because of the lack of differentiation in both the FDP and FPL musculature, it is unlikely that baboons can control individual digits independently. Additional images Reference Further reading External links PTCentral Muscles of the upper limb