Re: Bipedalism and other factors

Harry Erwin (herwin@gmu.edu)
Tue, 04 Jul 1995 10:19:35 -0400

In article <3t7b72$7n4@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, patdooley@aol.com (Pat
Dooley) wrote:

> David L. Burkhead wrote:
> ---trimmed---
> Your points might have some validity if the proposed aquatic ape was an
> ocean going swimmer. It is far more likely to have been a shore line
> forager, rarely venturing into deep water. In such a case, it only has to
> make it to the shallows to evade a shark or crocodile.
>
> That option is not available to an ape trying to outrun a leopard.

Certainly it is. An ape in a tree is much more mobile than a leopard. The
accessible space to a large carnivore with convergent pes and manus is
limited to the tops of some large branches, while a smaller ape with
grasping pes and manus could reach at least twice (prabably ten times) as
much volume.

>
> Pat Dooley
> Plainly, the AAH doesn't hold water.

-- 
Harry Erwin
Internet: herwin@gmu.edu
Home Page: http://osf1.gmu.edu/~herwin (try again if necessary)
PhD student in comp neurosci: "Glitches happen" & "Meaning is emotional"