Re: Picture of Fossilized Foot Prints

Jim Foley (jimf@vangelis.co.symbios.com)
16 Jan 1997 21:11:03 GMT

In article <susansfE3v4MG.8q8@netcom.com>,
Susan S. Chin <susansf@netcom.com> wrote:

>There is also an ACTUAL SIZE photo of a Laetoli footprint in Johanson &
>Edgar's 1996 book "From Lucy to Language," p. 133. I'm looking at it
>right now, and that is one small foot...maybe the equivalent of a women's
>size 4 or 5 (US) at best! It's about the size of my hand actually.

It's 7.25 inches long. Slightly larger (about 0.25-0.5 inches) than the
foot of my 5 yr old daughter. My own foot is 10.25 inches long.

The book doesn't say whether the print is from the larger or the smaller
of the two sets of prints. I suspect it's from the smaller set, since I
think they were the better preserved ones.

"From Lucy to Language" doesn't say whether there were two or three
individuals (with the 3rd walking in the steps of one of the others).
Johanson in "Lucy's Child" claimed the traces of the 3rd individual were
caused by Mary Leakey's careless excavation. I'm sure that did nothing
to smooth the strained relations between them! I think most people now
believe there were 3 individuals, so maybe Johanson has backed off his
earlier claim.

-- 
Jim Foley Symbios Logic, Fort Collins, CO
Jim.Foley@symbios.com (970) 223-5100 x9765
Blackadder: That Farrow bloke you executed today. You sure he's dead?
Baldrick: I cut his head off. That usually does the trick.