Jose Cardenas

Anthropology 1020-018
April 9, 2016

Research Paper
Bipedalism first took place during the late Miocene in East Africa. As the land became
drier, the resources also became more scarce. This allowed for competition to rise therefore
bipedalism became an acquired morphological-behavioral characteristic. In this manner, the
family of pre-hominid were able to ensure their survival by spreading along and by peacefully
settling their conflict among themselves and reducing mortality rate1 allowing their genetic code
to survive and endure the environmental changes. If the east African Ape had not been able to
have evolved the way it did, humans would not have become as they are. There are fossil records
that apes such as Morotopithecus as well as Proconsul are found on site in east Africa. The fossil
record spreads through Asia as well as Europe. This fossil record is rather substantial and it is
indicative that other gorillas have made a divergent split about eight to nine million years ago;
also, the ancestors of bonobo took a separate path along with chimpanzees and evolved
isolated from human ancestors about seven million years ago making chimpanzee as well as
bonobo the closest genetic trait to humans.2
From the late Miocene to the Pilocene, in the sub- Saharan Africa, the genetic code of a
human would have the characteristics of a bipedal locomotive anthropomorphic mechanical
functions such as the hip. The body part of a human would differ from the one of a gorilla in
which the human hip resembles the image of a bowl and it also has curvatures around both
sides of the body. This would facilitate the balancing of the physique as it transitions from
1 Nina Jabloski, George Chaplin. (The Origin of Homonid Bipedalism Re-examined)
2 Holly M Dunsworth. (Fossil Focus: Encephalized Bipedal Apes)

one foot to another in its bipedal motion. There are fossil remains that prove of this feature in the
form of footprints well preserved from three to six million years ago in Laetoli, Tanzania; tracks
left by bipedal hominids. The fossilized traces of bipedal locomotion indicate how differently
hominid walked than human do walk today. Bipedal similarities are shared. However, the
divergent toe no longer remains.3 Also, Hominid evidence is quite abundant. The early course
taken by the evolutionary process of bipedalism, fossil records indicate that bipedalism evolved
in a linear trend derived from brachiating hydrobatic ancestors advancing a vertical stage of
climbing abilities to terrestrial dwelling and finally plantigrade bipedalism4. Also,
It seems debatable to add if bipedalism or if larger encephalic masses began to occur one
before the other. The fossil remains of Australopithecinae illustrates that an erect posture came to
take place before encephalic expansion occurred5. As the brain enlarges the nasal abilities reduce
allowing the brain to rely more on visual stimulation and less on olfactory senses. It is also quite
logical to point that as the hands free themselves of walking burdens, they become prehensile
extremities that will only stimulate sensory activities that will also engage in cranial stimulation
that will only enlarge more the encephalic mass through time. Also, the discovery that Donald
Johnson engaged in during the seventies when he found a fossil somewhat of a complete skeletal
structure named Lucy, a member of the species Au, dating back as far as three million years
old. In this discovery, evidence of a bipedal structure takes place with a encephalic relatively
small in relation to its body size. Therefore the reassurance that bipedalism came before larger
3 Ibid
4 Harcourt Smith, Aiello. (Fossils, Feet and the Evolution of Bipedal Locomotion)
5 Gordon Hewes. (Food Transport and the Origin of Hominid Bipedalism)

brain structure took place allowing for technological use of tools that in turn opened possibilities
to higher protein gathering nutrition6 and hence, the larger brains.
So far, the fossil record suggests that bipedalism has allowed for the enlarging of
encephalic mass over the course of time. It is obvious that bipedalism has come before the
enlarging of the brain, and also, as bipedalism evolves, the brain does so as well as a byproduct
of the previous phenomena. As the hand free themselves from walking and brain stimulation
takes place, as mentioned before, the emerging of tools takes place.
In Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, fossil remains have been discovered that date as far back as
2.5 million years ago. In this site there are ancient tool remains that belong to the earlies member
of the homo genus, the Homo habilis. Such technological tools at the time are the remains of
stones7. Also, the fossil record of the Homo erectus, which dates as far back as 1.8 million years
ago suggests that as the physique becomes bipedal, as well as the intellectual ability to create
weapons emerge, the hunting abilities also improve. The body becomes faster and it can engage
in short bursts of speed hunting down protein8 intake because automatically speaking the
complexity of the brain becomes a paradoxical as well as taxing body part to nourish. As the
brains get larger, the amount of energy becomes relatively larger as well.
The brain of the Homo erectus is quite similar to the brains of modern humans suggesting
of the need of protein intake as well as fat to be quite high. Also, the physique of the Homo
erectus, had nearly the same size as the one of a modern human as well. The Homo erectus was
first found in Africa, then, it moved throughout Europe as well as south east Asia.. In the
6 http://efossils.org/book/bipedalism-vs-brain-size
7 Holly M Dunsworth. (Fossil Focus: Encephalized Bipedal Apes)
8 Ibid

1980s, a fossil record of the Homo erectus was found in which the skeleton was nearly
complete. The fossil was found in Nariokotome, Kenya suggesting of the shift in diet from
protein as well as fat created a more complex behavior9, thought and technological evolving.

Works Cited
Chaplin, Nina Jabloski George. n.d. The Origin of Homonid Bipedalism Re-examined.

Dunsworth, Holly M. n.d. Fossil Focus: Encephalized Bipedal Apes.

Harcourt Smith, Aielo. n.d. Fossils, Feet and the Evolution of Bipedal Locomotion.

Hewes, Gordon. n.d. Food Transport and the Origin of Hominid Bipedalism.

http://efossils.org/book/bipedalism-vs-brain-size. n.d.

9 Ibid