Re: Dissecting the Aquatic Ape: Bipedalism
Richard Foy (rfoy@netcom.com)
Mon, 8 Jul 1996 00:27:55 GMT
In article <CheetahPRO_v0.04_3851@desco.demon.co.uk>,
Elaine Morgan <elaine@desco.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> >> Occan's razor, Elaine. Bipedalism IS a terrestrial adaptation so it
>> >> is reasonable to conclude that it evolved AS a terrestrial adaptation.
>>
>Well I don't imagine it evolved for purposes of swimming. It evolved for
>purposes of proceeding from A to B with the hind legs on the ground and
>the forelimbs not involved in the operation. But when the ground is
>partly covered with water any primate trying to cross it is far more
>likely to proceed on two legs then than in other circumstances,, from
> everything I
>have seen in wildlife films and wildlife books.
>I will be told this is a personal assessment, anecdotal etc. etc.
>I am trying to make it more scientific. I am offering to fund a
>piece of research on a Japanese island where macaques have been
>naturalised and live partly on sea-food. I want a study done on the
>lines of K.D. Hunt's study, getting hard data on the percentage of time
>spent walking bipedally (a) on the beach and (b) inland. The Japs are
>willing to co-operate. I have written to K.D.Hunt asking advice on how
>to go about it and how to find properly qualified people to carry it out.
>He may be out of the country.
That is great Elaine. I hope you find someone to do the work.
--
"The form is the content in motion, and the content is the form at
rest." --Northrup Frye
URL http://www.he.tdl.com/~hfanoe/udc.html Unity and Diversity
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