Re: Reply from Elaine MORGAN on AAT
Kevyn Loren Winkless (umwinkl0@cc.umanitoba.ca)
13 Dec 1994 02:07:34 GMT
In <765221947wnr@desco.demon.co.uk> Elaine@desco.demon.co.uk (Elaine Morgan) writes:
>replace. The food was not meat: b.p predated hunting.....RE:B.p. is a
Did it predate hunting? You are assuming, I presume, that hunting
requires a lithic technology, or at least heavily modified wood or bone
tools? Chimpanzees, usually considered to be our closest living ape
relatives, frequently "hunt" small animals such as lizards, rodents,
smaller primates, etc. What of savanna-nesting birds? Surely eggs count
as high energy food, well worth the effort of carrying back? Further, I
think it is important to note that "meat" does not necessarily imply
hunting - plenty of savanna carnivores scavenge. Since we are
omnivorous, it is probably safe to say that early hominids probably ate
meat...and probably scavenged it.
>LONGDISTANCE RUNNING. The classic reference to this is a paper by
>Carrier. It could be a spin-off benefit of highly-evolved bipedalism
>but could not have triggered it. The original shambling apes could not
>have outrun a springbok.
I have to agree with you here: it seems more likely that a semi-bipedal
ape would have had greater pressure toward habitual quadrepedalism (as
with baboons) as it would seem to be the easier of the two adaptations in
terms of number and complexity of traits necessary.
I think that the question is not answered yet. Both sides have
proponents and some valid points. I am curious to see what AAT leads
to...its validity isn't necessary so long as it makes us think harder!
...Kevyn Winkless.
"...I drank WHAT!!?" - Socrates umwinkl0@cc.umanitoba.ca
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