Almost Human - Essay
TA: Colin Hoag
The study of the origin of humans and the journey of our evolution is a diverse and dynamic field that can be approached in many ways. Shirley Strum chose to examine primate behavior with the hope that it would illuminate the challenges early humans may have encountered and the possible solutions and adaptations they experienced in order to survive. In this essay I will outline the central findings as expressed in Strum’s book, Almost Human: A Journey into the World of Baboons, and connect her conclusions to information gathered throughout this course. Strum’s ground-breaking evidence of socially intelligent, minimally aggressive, female-centered baboon societies not only gives a glimpse into the lives of primates and the possible landscape for the evolution of man, but the controversy surrounding primate behavior studies illuminates characteristics of our society today and the world of academia.
Shirley Strum began her journey into the world of baboons in September of 1972 in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya. Kekopey was a 45,000 acre cattle ranch and home to the Pumphouse Gang, the troop of baboons she would observe and learn from for the next decade. Strum believed that in order for us to realize our human potential today we must first understand our evolutionary heritage (Strum 1987 p6). While the fossil record can tell us much about the morphological adaptations that led to the human radiation, answers as to why early hominids adopted a bipedal locomotion and how they survived the environmental changes lie in their behavior (Strum 1987 p6). Since the Australopithecines are long extinct, the study of modern day primates who, like early hominids, have adapted to life in the African savannah, allow anthropologists and
Cate Havstad
TA: Colin Hoag scientists the opportunity to observe behavioral patterns that resemble those of our common ancestor. Although chimpanzees may be biologically closer to humans, baboon lifestyle and their
The study of the origin of humans and the journey of our evolution is a diverse and dynamic field that can be approached in many ways. Shirley Strum chose to examine primate behavior with the hope that it would illuminate the challenges early humans may have encountered and the possible solutions and adaptations they experienced in order to survive. In this essay I will outline the central findings as expressed in Strum’s book, Almost Human: A Journey into the World of Baboons, and connect her conclusions to information gathered throughout this course. Strum’s ground-breaking evidence of socially intelligent, minimally aggressive, female-centered baboon societies not only gives a glimpse into the lives of primates and the possible landscape for the evolution of man, but the controversy surrounding primate behavior studies illuminates characteristics of our society today and the world of academia.
Shirley Strum began her journey into the world of baboons in September of 1972 in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya. Kekopey was a 45,000 acre cattle ranch and home to the Pumphouse Gang, the troop of baboons she would observe and learn from for the next decade. Strum believed that in order for us to realize our human potential today we must first understand our evolutionary heritage (Strum 1987 p6). While the fossil record can tell us much about the morphological adaptations that led to the human radiation, answers as to why early hominids adopted a bipedal locomotion and how they survived the environmental changes lie in their behavior (Strum 1987 p6). Since the Australopithecines are long extinct, the study of modern day primates who, like early hominids, have adapted to life in the African savannah, allow anthropologists and
Cate Havstad
TA: Colin Hoag scientists the opportunity to observe behavioral patterns that resemble those of our common ancestor. Although chimpanzees may be biologically closer to humans, baboon lifestyle and their
Cited: Goodall, Jane. 1990. Bridging the gap. Through a Window. P 206-216 Human Origin and Changing Landscape. Lecture 11/4/10 Mayr, Ernst. 2004. 80 Years of Watching the Evolutionary Scenery. Science 305: 46-47. Reader, J. 1981. Australopithecus Africanus (1925). Chpt 4. Missing Links. Pp. 82-94 Skull Wars film. Lecture on 11/4/10 Smuts, Barbara. 1987. What Are Friends For? Natural History 2: 36-44. Strum, Shirley C. 1987. Almost Human: Journey Into the World of Baboons. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc: New York Zihlman, Adrienne L. 1982. The Human Evolution Coloring Book. Coloring Concepts Inc: Napa, California