When locomoting bipedally at higher speeds, macaques preferred unilateral skipping (galloping). The same skipping pattern was maintained while hurdling across two low obstacles at the distance of a stride within our experimental track. The present study investigated leg and trunk joint rotations and leg joint moments, with the aim of clarifying the differential leg and trunk operation during skipping in bipedal macaques. Especially at the hip, the range of joint rotation and extension at lift off was larger in the leading than in the trailing leg. The flexing knee absorbed energy and the extending ankle generated work during each step. The trunk showed only minor deviations from symmetry. Hurdling amplified the differences and notably resulted in a quasi‐elastic use of the leading knee and in an asymmetric operation of the trunk. Highlights: Macaques trained for bipedal locomotion liked to skip. With a single double support and a flight phase during a stride skipping represents a gait between walking and running. Skipping enforced differential operation of the trailing and leading leg, respectively. Thereby, a quasi‐elastic behavior of the whole leg is organized without a quasi‐elastic operation of the knee. However, when the macaques skipped across hurdles, a strong rebound was observed in the leading leg. While hurdling, the asymmetric operation of the trunk segments supported the differential operation of the legs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]