Re: Bipedalism in different substrates

From: Pauline M Ross (pmross_at_ross-software.co.uk)
Date: 06/24/04 

Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 22:21:53 +0100

On Thu, 24 Jun 2004 18:56:48 GMT, "J Moore" <anthrosciguy@yahoo.com>
wrote:

>> [Pauline]OK, but this doesn't negate my original point, which was that all
>> hairless (or less than fully furred) mammal species are aquatic
>> *except* those listed.
>
>The point is, Pauline, that *very few* aquatic mammals have little or no
>body hair, even if you stretch that category to include mammals with sparse
>hair. And that's very few species, while the more accurate grouping, as
>Jason points out, is how many times it happened (probably once for whales,
>once for sirenia, etc.). It just isn't something that generally happens in
>adapting to an aquatic environment, even for mammals which are far more
>aquatic than AAT/H proponents say we were. It's rare in fact.

That is indeed the point that is typically made. But *my* point is
that if you turn the question round, and ask, not how many aquatic
mammals are hairless (very few), but how many hairless mammals are
aquatic, you get a different answer (most of them).

The real underlying point is that fur is extremely valuable to
mammals; they abandon it rarely. When they do, it is usually in water.
>
>See you all next month.

Have a good trip? holiday? conference? 

-- 
Pauline Ross

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