Re: tree-climbing hominids

ROBERT SAUNDERS (rdcsaunders@its.dundee.ac.uk)
Mon, 9 Oct 1995 08:15:10 GMT

In article <hubey.813022515@pegasus.montclair.edu> hubey@pegasus.montclair.edu (H. M. Hubey) writes:
>From: hubey@pegasus.montclair.edu (H. M. Hubey)
>Subject: Re: tree-climbing hominids
>Date: 6 Oct 1995 19:49:05 -0400

>Alex Duncan <aduncan@mail.utexas.edu> writes:
>In answer to:
>>Please state what you mean by "significant tree-climbing ability"
>Mr. Duncan says:
>>If you mean that the hominid was probably able to grasp branches with
>>its foot, please quote references.

>For sure we are now dealing with concepts which are no longer
>binary. "Significant tree-climbing ability" is a fuzzy judgement.

>What exactly does it mean? We have significant tree-climbing
>ability right now. Can dogs climb better than us? No. How about
>sheep? No. How about fishes? No.

>So what does it mean?

>Is there a "tree-climbing" meter which is being used? Is there
>an operational definition which produces some numbers which can
>be compared? What is being done?

>I'd like to ask you for a favor. How about telling us which ones
>make some progress toward resolving the difficulty instead of
>carrying on with verbiage?

>>Lamy P (1986) The settlement of the longitudinal plantar arch of some
>>African Plio-Pleistocene hominids: a morphological study. Journal of
>>Human Evolution, 15:31-46.

>Any numbers? Any correlation between the arch and arches of
>other animals? If not, do we eyeball some bones?

Read the reference and find out.

>>Latimer BM, et al. (1982) Hominid tarsal, metatarsal, and phalangeal
>>bones recovered from the Hadar Formation: 1974-1977 collections. American
>>Journal of Physical Anthropology, 53:701-719.

>Probably some pictures. If not, please do us a favor and tell us
>what we should find here.

Read the reference and find out.

>>McHenry HM (1986) The first bipeds: a comparison of the A. afarensis and
>>A. africanus postcranium and implications for the evolution of
>>bipedalism. Journal of Human Evolution, 15:177-191.

>More pictures??? Maybe measurements of length? How about form?

Read the reference and find out.

>>Susman RL, Stern JT & Jungers WL (1984) Arboreality and bipedality in the
>>Hadar hominids. Folia Primatologia, 43:113-156.

>Sounds like more verbiage. It's apparent from the title.

Read the reference and find out.

>>Tuttle RH (1981) Evolution of hominid bipedalism and prehensile
>>capabilities. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 292:89-94.

>This one sounds interesting and potentially useful. Anything other
>than the usual pictures and drawings and measurements of bones
>and (assumed) angles.

Read the reference and find out.

>>Duncan AS, Kappelman J & Shapiro LJ (1984) Metatarsophalangeal joint
>>function and positional behavior in Australopithecus afarensis. American
>>Journal of Physical Anthropology, 93:67-81.

>So now it looks like we shift to possibly some estimates of
>measurements of angles. Anything more?

Read the reference and find out.

>--

> Regards, Mark
> http://www.smns.montclair.edu/~hubey

Robert