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Re: Speciation - how do you know?
Robert Gotschall (hobgot@ix.netcom.com(Robert)
13 Oct 1996 12:13:53 GMT
In <845150545snz@crowleyp.demon.co.uk> Paul@crowleyp.demon.co.uk (Paul
Crowley) writes:
>
>Do male gorillas have all that musculature just to gather leaves?
>
Yeah, good point about the gorilla, and I agree the middens indicate a
possibly major food source. However, while heavily muscled chimps do
mostly use their strength for gathering roots and berries, they also
kill and eat baboons. I think humans are now and always have been
omnivores. Even most carnivores(except for felids)are actually pretty
omnivorous, and virtually all predators will scavenge if given the
chance, especially larger ones. My contention is that until shown
dramatic evidence to the contrary, I'm going to assume that the
Neanderthal people were a lot like modern people. In his book The
Third Chimpanzee, Jared Diamond indicates that if fully modern humans
in New Guinea were to vacate the place, a thousand years later there
would be very little to show for their culture. What can we reasonably
expect after a thirty- thousand year absence by the Neanderthal.
Hob
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