Re: Speciation - how do you know?
WVanhou237 (wvanhou237@aol.com)
29 Sep 1996 05:33:46 -0400
In article <324C804D.BA5@megafauna.com>, Stephen Barnard
<steve@megafauna.com> writes:
>>
>> Ambush hunters rely on (1) a short and intense burst of high speed
>> and (2) overwhelming power or weaponry. They can't afford the risk
>> of injury and either kill quickly or not at all.
>>
>> Neanderthals had neither (1) nor (2). Even if they managed to
>> surprise a quadruped, there is no way they could have caught it or
>> held it down. If it felt threatened (IMO somewhat unlikely) it
>> would be off like a shot. And, unless it was small, they could not
>> have killed it quickly. (Perhaps you could suggest how they might
>> kill a large bovid quickly.) Furthermore, the risk of injury to
>> the hominid would have been unacceptably high. A upright biped is
>> extraordinarily vulnerable. One charge by a quadruped is likely
>> to break its bones.
>>
Why is all this insistance on killing "quickly"? After all what did
the neanderthal
have more of than time. He certainly had a modocum of intelligence. Not
all paleolithic Homosaps had bows and arrows. If you want to see
"little"man vs. big animal watch a documentery of Bushmen in southern
Africa killing elephants. In fact not just killing them but herding them
to where the want them to die.
IMO Neanderthal was a Homo adaptation to a cold climate.
Short,compact, robust build to conserve body heat. (I can even emagine
they all had small ears)
And no doubt a comletely omniverous diet. (Anything that didn't eat them
first.)
Question! Do you know if anyone has ever done any comparison between
the
Neanderthals and the Innuit, Aleuts, and/or Siberian tribes? Lest this
last be
jumped on as racist; I haste to say that I firmly believe that we all have
neanderthal
genes.
W. .F. Van Houten
What evil shadows in the hearts of men ?
The Lurker knows!
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