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webbing
Alex Duncan (aduncan@mail.utexas.edu)
11 Jul 1995 18:20:03 GMT
Well, another one bites the dust.
I just took a look at one the baboons in our freezer, and the
webbing between her fingers was just as extensive as the webbing between
my fingers. I'll be posting JPEGS as soon as I can shave her hands and
pry her poor dead fingers apart long enough to get a picture.
Also, in "Gorillas in the Mist", Diane Fossey notes that some the
gorillas at Karisoke (sp?) have EXTENSIVE webbing between their fingers.
Its true that the very extensive webbing results in part from the fact
that the mountain gorillas are an inbred population, and recessives are
more likely to be expressed. But, THE GENE FOR IT HAD TO COME FROM
SOMEWHERE. Perhaps (I'm just guessing here), the potential for webbed
digits is a genetically ancient trait, going back to Icthyostega and
Acanthostega.
Alex Duncan
Dept. of Anthropology
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712-1086
512-471-4206
aduncan@mail.utexas.edu
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