Re: Australopithecines
J. Moore (j#d#.moore@canrem.com)
Mon, 1 May 95 17:55:00 -0500
Pn> Australopithecus robustus may have continued to exist until
Pn> as recently as 700,000 years ago, well after the extinction of
Pn> Homo habilis and well after Homo erectus left Africa.
Pn> The only sign of violence we can see in any of the Australopithecine
Pn> fossils is some evidence that leopards considered them good prey.
Pn> MY position is that there is no evidence as to what caused the
Pn> extinction of Australopithecines and therefore there is no reason
Pn> to suspect and unnatural demise.
Pn> Phil Nicholls "To ask a question you must first
The "700,000 years ago" is way speculative (I think 1.1-1.2 mya is a
saner limit ;-), but your point is valid and holds true for Neandertal
vis a vis *H.s.* as well: if the surivivors were directly responsible
(via killing) for the extinction of the non-suriviving hominids, they
did a mighty poor (slow) job of it.
Jim Moore (j#d#.moore@canrem.com)
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