Was Lucy a Brutal Brawler?

Discover ^ | June 26, 2007 | Boonsri Dickinson

[SunkenCiv]

Anthropologists have long assumed that the short stature of australopithecines like Lucy was related to treetop living: Having short legs makes it easier to climb trees and gives stability when balancing on branches. David Carrier, a biologist at the University of Utah, has another idea. After taking measurements and collecting observations on nine living primate species, including humans, Carrier concluded that the living apes with the shortest legs for their body size, like gorillas and orangutans, are those that spend the least time in trees. They’re also the ones whose males exhibit especially aggressive behavior.

Carrier doesn’t rule out that Australopithecus may have spent time in trees, but he insists a more likely explanation for why short legs persisted is that Lucy and her ilk were particularly prone to fighting. According to this hypothesis, it was advantageous for males to remain short because it gave them an edge when grappling with one another for access to females. “With short legs, you have a lower center of gravity. You’re more stable, and you have greater leverage,” Carrier says.

[SunkenCiv]

And with short legs, it's much more convenient to become the ancestor of some modern apes, rather than humans. :')

[SunkenCiv]

Becoming soon a bloodbath near you. ;')

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[mtbopfuyn]

Or maybe she just had short legs.

[JennysCool]

I hear she was a menace when all hopped up.

[Hegemony Cricket]

Why, I oughta knock your block off!

[Lee'sGhost]

I never knew that, but find it very believable for some reason.

[SunkenCiv]

See, now there’s a short-legged female no one has wanted access to in all her 60 years.

[Hegemony Cricket]

Well, no human being, anyway...

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

[Eaker]

but he insists a more likely explanation for why short legs persisted is that Lucy and her ilk were particularly prone to fighting.

Yep, midgets have controlled the Boxing Heavy Weight Championship for years.

rollin' eyes ..............

[MacDorcha]

PING!

[SergeiRachmaninov]

Why, I oughta knock your block off!

It is hard to see how she ever got knocked up given her feisty attitude.

[highlander_UW]

ROFL...I thought this was going to be an article on Lucille Ball.

[RightOnline]

Definitely.......a serious brawler.......

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

Ancient napolionic syndrome? Lucy could throwdown about as good as Chaka could. I don’t understand the logic in this line or reasoning. I thought smaller was to be road kill for the evolution of the bigger badder things to come?

[FastCoyote]

Vitameatavegimin was one of The all time funniest skits.

[JohnnyZ]

That’s hot.

[dsc]

So bogus to see a woman with a sword in her hand.

[SunkenCiv]

I think this hypothesis will have to be, er, tossed out...

[SunkenCiv]

Happy 4th, all! NOT A PING LIST, merely posted to: mtbopfuyn; JennysCool; Lee'sGhost; Hegemony Cricket; Extremely Extreme Extremist; Eaker; MacDorcha; SergeiRachmaninov; highlander_UW; RightOnline; K4Harty; FastCoyote; JohnnyZ; dsc