Walking on all fours might be fun for some, but
for the members of one Turkish family, it’s the
only way to move around. Five siblings of the 19-
member Ulas family, from Hatay Province, suffer
from a rare disability – they lack the balance and
stability required to stand up straight, forcing
them to move on all four limbs. The family was
discovered in 2005 – 14 of them appeared to be
completely normal, while five suffered a
quadrupedal gait. Scientists have been baffled by
the condition ever since.
The Ulas siblings were featured in a BBC
documentary film, The Family That Walks On All
Fours, in 2006. The film revealed that of the five
siblings, two sisters and a brother have only
walked on all fours since birth. Another brother
and sister sometimes manage to walk upright.
“It’s amazing as an example of a strange, strange
aberration of human development,” said Professor
Nicholas Humphrey, who visited the family twice
during the documentary. “But their interest is how
they can live in the modern world.”
Living in the modern world with a quadrupedal
gait is no easy task. The siblings are often
ridiculed for their disorder, and the family tries
their best to protect them. The sisters remain
indoors mostn of the time, spending their time
crocheting. One of the brothers, on the other
hand, is more adventurous – he travels to the
local village and interacts with other people.
See pictures below
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