Aquatic ape hypothesis

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The aquatic ape hypothesis (AAH), sometimes referred to as the aquatic ape theory, proposes that the ancestors of humans went through one or more periods of living in aquatic settings, which was responsible for the development of many of the characteristics of Homo genus that are not seen in other primates. The AAH theorizes that when early or proto-humans lived in proximity to water, they gathered much of their food in or near shallow bodies of water through beach-combing, gathering aquatic plants and animals, coconuts and bird's eggs. Variations propose fresh-water habitats,[1] in the timescale,[2] and the proposed degree of selection arising from moving through water. The most popular formulation involves a semi-aquatic episode coinciding with the Pliocene-Pleistocene littoral diaspora of the Homo genus along the East-African Rift Valley lakes and the African and Indian Ocean coasts.

The hypothesis and its variations has been received with a mixture of criticism,[3][4][5] support[6][7][8] and cautious discussion[9] in mainstream paleoanthropology.

Contents

[edit] History

Prior to 546 B.C., the Milesian philosopher Anaximander proposed that mankind had sprung from an aquatic species of animal. He thought that the extended infancy of humans could not have originally permitted survival as a land-based species. This idea was based on elemental forces of mutation as opposed to evolution.

The origin of the idea of a more aquatic phase in hominid evolution in the English language can be traced to 5th March 1960 when the marine biologist Sir Alister Hardy publicly announced it in a presentation to a sub-aqua club in Brighton and was quickly followed up by two articles published in the scientific magazine "New Scientist".[6] The early television playwright and later feminist writer Elaine Morgan developed and promoted it, publishing multiple books on the subject.[10][11][12]

Since the 1960s, the theory hasn't changed much nor increased its testable predictions; in most respects it has become less specific as objections have been proposed.[1][2][10][6]

[edit] In popular culture

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  • In the album This Toilet Earth by thrash metal band GWAR the song The Insidious Soliloquy Of Skulhedface features the lyrics: "I am he who has been him back when man swam Pangean seas as aquatic apes."

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Ellis DV (1993). "Wetlands or aquatic ape? Availability of food resources". Nutrition and health (Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire) 9 (3): 205–17. PMID 8183488.
  2. ^ a b Verhaegen, M.; Puech, P.F.; Munro, S. (2002). "Aquarboreal ancestors?". Trends in Ecology & Evolution 17 (5): 212-217. Retrieved on 2007-10-29.
  3. ^ MacLarnon, A.M.; Hewitt, G.P. (1999). "The evolution of human speech: The role of enhanced breathing control". American Journal of Physical Anthropology 109 (3): 341-363. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1096-8644(199907)109:3%3C341::AID-AJPA5%3E3.3.CO%3B2-U.
  4. ^ Lowenstein, J.M.; Zihlman, A.L. (1980). "The Wading Ape-A Watered-Down Version of Human Evolution". Oceans 17: 3-6.
  5. ^ Langdon JH (1997). "Umbrella hypotheses and parsimony in human evolution: a critique of the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis". J. Hum. Evol. 33 (4): 479–94. doi:10.1006/jhev.1997.0146. PMID 9361254.
  6. ^ a b c Hardy, A. (1960). "Was man more aquatic in the past". New Scientist 7: 642-645.
  7. ^ Broadhurst, C.L.; Crawford, M.A.; Cunnane, S.C.; Parkington, J.E.; Schmidt, W.F.; Bloom, M.; Galli, C.; Ghebremeskel, K.; Linseisen, F.; Lloyd-smith, J. (2000). "Evidence for the unique function of docosahexanoic acid (DHA) during the evolution of the modern hominid brain". Lipids 34.
  8. ^ Tobias, P.V. (2002). "Some aspects of the multifaceted dependence of early humanity on water.". Nutr Health 16 (1): 13-7. Retrieved on 2007-10-29.
  9. ^ Roede, M. (1991). The Aquatic Ape: Fact Or Fiction?: the First Scientific Evaluation of a Controversial Theory of Human Evolution. Souvenir Press. 
  10. ^ a b Morgan, Elaine (1982). The Aquatic Ape. Stein & Day Pub. ISBN 0-285-62509-8. 
  11. ^ Morgan, Elaine (1990). The Scars of Evolution. Souvenir Press. ISBN 0-285-62996-4. 
  12. ^ Morgan, Elaine (1997). The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis. Souvenir Press. ISBN 0-285-63377-5. 

[edit] External links

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Apes
Extant familyHylobatidae · HominidaeImage:Primatenskelett-drawing.jpg
Extant generaHylobates · Hoolock · Nomascus · Symphalangus · Pongo · Gorilla · Pan · Homo
Extant speciesLar Gibbon · Agile Gibbon · Müller's Bornean Gibbon · Silvery Gibbon · Pileated Gibbon · Kloss's Gibbon · Western Hoolock Gibbon · Eastern Hoolock Gibbon · Siamang · Black Crested Gibbon · Eastern Black Crested Gibbon · White-cheeked Crested Gibbon · Yellow-cheeked Crested Gibbon · Bornean Orangutan · Sumatran Orangutan · Western Gorilla · Eastern Gorilla · Common Chimpanzee · Bonobo · Human
Ape studyAquatic ape hypothesis · Ape language · Ape Trust · Dian Fossey · Birutė Galdikas · Jane Goodall · Chimpanzee genome project · Human genome project
Legal statusPersonhood · Research ban · Declaration · Kinshasa Declaration · Great Ape Project · Survival Project
See also...Bushmeat · Ape extinction · List of notable apes · List of fictional apes · Human evolution · Mythic Humanoids · Hominid · Planet of the Apes

de:Wasseraffen-Theorie es:Hipótesis del simio acuático fr:Théorie du primate aquatique he:תאוריית קוף המים hu:Vízimajom-elmélet nl:Wateraap ja:水生類人猿説 pl:Teoria wodnej małpy sk:Teória vodnej opice

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