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The Problem of Pred. AAT.
Sean Stinson (sstinson@uoguelph.ca)
27 Sep 1995 23:50:22 GMT
It seems that any model which explains the problem of
an intermediate primate dealing with aquatic predators
gets more complex and less believable with due consideration.
It just doesn't seem very likely that our early primate ancestors
could walk into an aquatic environment and spend 365 days of the
year with crocodiles, etc.. Perhaps the problem lies in that
assumption. I know that the Africa goes through at least two
main seasons: rainy and dry. What if our primate ancestors were
initially dealing with a wet season for part of the year, where
their environment was essentially an aquatic one for at least a few
months at a time. This would have given them time to evolve at least
some characteristics for dealing with a potentially hostile and alien
habitat. Thus when it came time to move entirely into an aquatic lifestyle,
they were already prepared for the change. This may even be part of
the reason WHY they moved into an aquatic environment, they had found
some benefit to being in the presence of water ALL the time. Perhaps
their previous habitat was becoming too dry, and therefore needed to
move to an environment where the search for water was less of a challenge.
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