Re: Social evolution of hominids
debra mckay (debra.mckay@utoronto.ca)
Mon, 30 Dec 1996 23:20:34 GMT
ailak@walrus.megabaud.fi wrote:
>
>Thoughts arisen from some threads in sci.bio.evolution:
>
>I understand that the continuous sexual activity of human females
>was not the original situation. This behaviour obviously appeared
>after the times of the common ancestor of apes and us, since the
>apes have restricted heat times, as do most mammals.
How do you know this?
>It is not clear to me, how predominant are the leading males
>among chimpanzees and gorillas, but obviously this situation,
>too, is different from ours, with greater sexual dimorphism?
Great among gorillas, smaller among chimps, not so much among
bonobos.
>
>To be continuously active sexually, the hominid female had to
>develop continuously excitable equipment for the non-heat times,
>the most important part of it being the clitoris. So, did the
>clitoris initiate our evolution and culture? <G>
Don't forget that bonobos (pygmy chimps) are continuously
sexually active as well, and in all combinations (except,
apparently, father-daughter combos). They seem to use it to
defuse social tension. There doesn't seem to be any indication
that the females don't enjoy it...,
Deb
> --
>Aila Korhonen in Finland ailak@walrus.megabaud.fi
>
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