Re: YET another aquatic ape post
WIlliam C. Wilson (Wildbill@ilhawaii.net)
24 Jan 1995 04:09:12 GMT
sircpu@aol.com (Sir CPU) wrote:
> I find it
> -difficult to believe that a human infant that cannot hold it's
> -head up or control the movement of its limbs can swim.
<snip>
> There is a picture of an human infant floating on its back in the book
> "Manwatching" by Desmond Morris p 296
> Troy Kelley
The fact that a (human) baby - rich in fat - can float on its back
is not really proof of swimming ability. babies do have several
motor reflex actions that resemble walking and crawling but
are not coordinated enough or strong enough for ground transport,
they may be capable of moving a baby in something like a dogpaddle
in the water provided the baby can find a way to get its head out
often enough to breath. these motions stop within several months after
birth and then true crawling and walking develop (see any good infant
development text).Trying to claim that these motions are proof of
some definite aquatic background and not just a lucky? side benefit
strickes me as reaching. Remember, any modification may have multiple
benefits some in unussual circumstances. This is not proof that the
modification was caused by the circumstances or was an adaptation
specifically to that circumstance.
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