Re: Absence of Canines in Apiths

"Paul Crowley" <slkwuoiutiuytciuyik@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:yPQrf.3761$j7.84797@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

> Against other bands of chimps. Bands of
> chimps fight.
>
> > > with
> > > all means available, and since escape is
> > > now usually impossible (there being few
> > > trees) that means picking up heavy lumps
> > > of wood: i.e. clubs.
> >
> > Why? They have canines.

Another answer here is that some chimps
DON'T have canines. Male chimps often
(nearly always?) lose one or more of their
canines in fights or as they age. Of course,
that's effectively the end of their breeding
career, and usually they don't live much
longer either -- they can't defend themselves.

It probably was such males who actually
initiated regular club use. In effect, they had
little choice. But the use of clubs would have
allowed them to continue breeding and fighting,
more-or-less as normal. Their life-span would
be significantly extended.

Also the use of clubs frees normal males to
eat roots (and risk bad teeth) with all the
advantages of a plentiful diet in the dry
season and only a few of the disadvantages
of bad teeth. (Of course, we are here only
talking of the immediate short-term, at the
point they began using clubs. Selection of
harder teeth and smaller canines would soon
follow -- on evolutionary timescales.)

> a) Clubs are better than canines -- you can keep
> away from the other guy's canines; and when
> you hit the other guys, you don't suffer any
> injury at all to your own hand or arm;
> b) You can eat roots, and even though your
> teeth are not so good, you can still live and
> fight; the other guys, who are not eating those
> roots, go hungry, and often die of starvation.


Paul.



.

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