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Re: An alternative to ST and AAT
John Waters (jdwaters@dircon.co.uk)
20 Nov 1996 10:39:26 GMT
Gerrit Hanenburg <G.Hanenburg@inter.nl.net> wrote in
article <56p69i$6uh@news.NL.net>...
> "Rohinton Collins" <rohinton@collins.prestel.co.uk>
wrote:
>
> >This is largely irrelevant though, since early hominids
would have been
> >lucky to have lived over forty, at a guess. Anyone have
any references for
> >the life expectancy of the australopithecines?
>
> 42.2 years.
> Calculated using the regression equation for primates
from
> Harvey and Clutton-Brock (1985),
>
> log (lifespan)=log (780.9)+0.29*log (female bodyweight)
> (lifespan in days,female bodyweight in grams)
>
> Female bodyweight A.afarensis= 29.3kg. (McHenry,1992)
>
> References:
> Harvey,P.H.and Clutton-Brock,T.H.(1985). Life History
Variation in
> Primates. Evolution 39:559-581.
>
> McHenry,H.M.(1992). Body Size and Proportions in Early
Hominids.
> Am.J.of Phys.Anth. 87:407-421.
>
> Gerrit
>
JW: Phew. Just as well I didn't forward my information to
Roh. In the well known *science* journal National
Geographic Vol 168, No. 5 (1985), it is reported that an
exhaustive investigation by Alan Mann of the University of
Pennsylvania indicated an average life span for A.
africanus of 22 years.This was based upon a study of teeth.
What do you make of that, Gerrit? I know your figure is an
average for all types of australopithicenes, but this is a
huge difference. How can the experts make such enormous
mistakes? (Assuming it was a mistake).
John.
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