Re: Early diets
Stanley Friesen (sarima@netcom.com)
Fri, 6 May 1994 04:50:15 GMT
In article <2q3m8e$lcq@nova.umd.edu>,
5121 Student 09 <cm315c09@nova.umd.edu> wrote:
>
>Just out of curiosity, do you know if these adaptations would
>have occured from eating shellfish, and the types of food found
>in a salt-marsh environment?
Not by itself. (Oh, I am sure our ancestors have long eaten shellfish
when available - just as we *still* do today - but that is because
we are universal omnivores).
The simple fact is that only two animals have teeth at all like
those of hominids (including the gracile australopithicines),
they are:
the pig - which is the about only other animal on Earth today that
is as universally omnivorous as humans.
the bear - which is more omnivorius than carnivorous.
In fact, suid dentition is so similar to hominid dentition that
on occasion pig fossils have been originally described as new
species of hominids.
So, naturally australopiticines may have eaten the occasional
shellfish - along with a little of everything else edible they
could get their hands on. [Not much different than people
today - except we even eat toxic foods - like tapioca].
--
NAMES: sarima@netcom.com swf@ElSegundoCA.ncr.com
May the peace of God be with you.
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