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There is no more obvious feature that separates humans from all other mammals than the way we walk on two legs. Walking, essentially on two legs, has long been an obvious trait of our species. If experts are to be believed, our history of walking on two legs is close 043 is a million years old. Science’s growing understanding of chimpanzee life, how they live, eat and drink, how they communicate, and how they feel may have clouded the understanding of what is “distinctly human,” but our reasoning is that time Has stood the test of ChimpanzeeSocial Media

However, the debate continues on why, when and where it developed. Several evolutionary approaches have been proposed. In most cases this approach is concerned with the economics and energy use of bipedalism (bipedalism is much more efficient than quadrupedalism). Other theories describe the benefits of carrying objects. Bipedal walking in humans frees the hands to do interesting things, such as making and using tools and reaching for fruits hanging from trees. It also enables us to see the tall grass.

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However, almost all theories suggest that bipedalism is adapted to movement on land. It is clear that bipedalism began at an early stage when the savannah grasslands were rapidly reduced because From 71 Million years ago there was decrease in the forest area. Traveling on two legs became easier. But, there is also evidence that contradicts this idea. Hominin anatomy, paleo-ecology and behavior of some ape species challenge this theory. ChimpanzeeSocial Media

For example, early hominins had a long list of adaptations to life in trees. These included long limbs, curved shoulders and wrists, and curved fingers. All of these characteristics are present in our extant primate cousins ​​who live in trees. Studies of what hominins ate and the animals they lived with (bushbucks, colobus monkeys) also suggest that these hominins did not live in grasslands. Instead, they inhabited a mosaic landscape, most likely consisting of a mixture of riparian forests and woodlands.

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Finally, evidence from the only non-African great ape – the orangutan – suggests that bipedalism was an adaptation for living in trees. This helped apes to settle on flexible branches in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. We studied the behavior of wild chimpanzees in a savanna mosaic in the Issa Valley in Tanzania. ChimpanzeePublished Date

Sun, Dec 18, 2022, 6: 25 PM IST