|
|
Re: Hominid fossils FAQ file
Kathleen Hunt (jespah@u.washington.edu)
1 Jan 1995 23:31:03 GMT
Whoops, I just realized that the transitional-fossils question was
probably specifically about *hominids*, not vertebrates in general.
Sorry. I get a little triggerhappy whenever I hear a hint of "no
transitional fossils"....
Bear in mind, though, that the animals *least* likely to be fossilized
are any sort of small forest animal. The soil is too acidic, and small
animals tend to just get crunched. So it's really not surprising that
primates on the whole, and bats, and birds, have pretty patchy fossil
records. Give me elephant molars any day....
Kathleen
--
If we increase the size of the penguin until it is the same height as
the man and then compare the relative brain size, we now find that the
penguin's brain is still smaller. But, and this is the point, it is
larger than it *was*. (Monty Python)
|