Re: Bipedalism and endurance (Re: AAH - enough already)

Phil Nicholls (pn8886@csc.albany.edu)
17 Dec 1994 05:19:48 GMT

In article <3cls38$74s@newsbf01.news.aol.com>,
Pat Dooley <patdooley@aol.com> wrote:
>In article <lmm5-101294184429@132.236.78.46>, lmm5@cornell.edu (loopy )
>writes:
>
>> 6) Lack of dense body hair facilitates cooling.
>>
>> The converse is true. Fur provides a greater evaporative surface.
>
>>How do you know the converse is true? unless it's very oily, fur sticks
>to
>>the body when wet. That doesn't increase surface area. And even if it did
>>increase surface area, that's useless because you want your skin to be
>>cool, not your hairs. Naked skin on the other hand allows for the most
>>efficient cooling of the _skin_.
>
>1. Convergent evolution tells me that fur works best.
>2. Efficient sweaters NEVER get wet. The whole object is
> to evaporate the water before it leaves the body.
>3. Evaporation cools the air and that provides an insulating
> layer that can be trapped by fur but lost from naked skin.
>4. People living in hot dry climates wear long flowing clothes
> rather than bikinis. That includes African tribes like the
> Watusi.
>5. Experimental evidence shows Patas monkeys lose
> moisture at half the human rate under the same conditions.
>
>Need any more?
>
>Pat Dooley
>
>
1) Hairs do not contain blood vessels, hence body heat cannot be lost
by convection if the sweat is trapped in hairs.

2) Patas monkeys don't lose as much mosture because they HAVE HAIR
which reduces the flow of air over the skin and thus cuts down on
the evaporation.

3) Patas monkeys tend to live in woodland, TALL GRASS savannah.

According to Napier and Napier's HANDBOOK OF LIVING PRIMATES, they
assume an alert bipedal posture when alarmed and will assume a bipedal
gait when carrying food objects in the wild.

Can we all say "Pre-adaptation."

-- 

Philip "Chris"  Nicholls               	  Department of Anthropology

Institute for Hydrohominoid Studies       SUNY  Albany

University of Ediacara			  pn8886@cnsunix.albany.edu

"Semper Alouatta"