ANTH 2 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Bipedalism, Ardipithecus, Australopithecus
6 Aug 2020
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Penguins are an example of a bipedal animal, but bipedalism is very rare. Mongooses sometimes stand fully upright but they don"t do it for long. Primates that are not bipedal can sometimes act bipedal but not for long or gracefully. Kangaroos have evolved to fill the niche of antelope/deers, they feed quadrapedally using the tail for balance, but they hop when they run. When chimps stand bipedally, it is to show . Bipedal animals have a different center of gravity than chimps, it is easy for us to stand upright. Ape"s center of gravity is through the center of his body, so all of its upper body is forward of the center of gravity. Human pelvis is round, broad, short and forms a saddle shape. Human birth is not a process that should be done alone. Throughout history, women help other women give birth midwives. In chimps, the head position does not change, and it comes out relatively easily.
