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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent speculation on the Aquatic Ape Theory, April 27, 2001
This is an excellent speculation on the Aquatic Ape Theory which for several years has been expounded by Elaine Morgan, in her books, "The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis" and "Scars of Evolution," both of which I have reviewed here. I first became interested in the theory when Desmond Morris mentioned it, in his book, "The Naked Ape," although he treated it lightly and seemed to favor the theory that our early pre-hominid ancestors dropped from the receding African arboreal environment onto the savannah and took off running, shedding their fur as they ran in order to cool off. The so-called "Savannah Theory." A couple of things bothered me about that theory: bipedal running, which the theory postulated, is far less efficient than quadrupedal locomotion. The fastest land animals on earth are quadrupeds and they are all covered with fur. It didn't make sense. Also, humans have a subcutaneous layer of fat, which contributes not only warmth but also flotation, and we are unique among the primates in that regard. That would have been the first thing to go, rather than fur, if cooling was the desired evolutionary result. Evolution follows the same path, generally, in similar species, in order to accomplish a given result. Hagstrom has carried Elaine Morgan's hypothesis further, though. He speculates on the causes of human monogamy, male facial hair, and the placement of sex organs, etc. Much of it is certainly speculation, but his deductions seem reasonable. If you are interested in the subject of human evolution, this is a book that you should certainly have in your library, along with those by Desmond Morris, Robert Ardrey, and, last but certainly not least, Elaine Morgan. Joseph H. Pierre
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