Re: On the importance of sticks.

Jim Foley (jimf@vangelis.FtCollins.NCR.com)
30 Mar 1995 20:13:42 GMT

In article <bardD67G55.D72@netcom.com>, BARD <bard@netcom.com> wrote:
> Can you guys catch me up on what's been discussed regarding
> what became of every proto-hominid; why, all are now extinct?

Them's the breaks. We'll probably never know for sure why. Could have
been climate, predation, etc.

> This seems a fascinating story to me. There must have been hundreds
> of different types of these creatures running around and now
> they're all gone....

There are only six known species of australopithecine.

> Why was this process so complete?

If it wasn't complete, it wouldn't be extinction. Extinction is
commonplace, so there's nothing special about the fact that none of them
survived. Happened to lots of other species too.

> Did Homo Sapiens have some hand in it?

Possibly. Not necessarily through violence, we might have just been
better at surviving in the same ecological niche.

--

Jim Foley                             Symbios Logic, Fort Collins

Jim.Foley@symbios.com                        (303) 223-5100 x9765