Foramen Magnum Essay

The position of the foramen magnum, the length of the leg, the shape of the spine and pelvis are four of the seven steps of bipedality. The position of the foramen magnum is located in the bottom of the skull, near the teeth in humans, and in the rear area for apes. This distinguish humans and apes because it demonstrates that the human head sits on the body rather than on the front of the body, like apes. The shape of the spine is s-shaped for humans and c-shaped for apes. Specifically, in humans the s-shape is caused by the curvature of the thoracic vertebrae in the front, and concave curvature of the lumbar vertebrae in the back. The spine provides strength while walking and running, as well as positioning the trunk of the body above the …show more content…
Darwin believed that there were four characteristics that differentiate living humans and living apes apart. Humans are bipedal, have tiny canines, rely on tools in their adaptation, and have big brains. While apes are quadrupedal, have large canines, do not rely on tools, and have small brains. Darwin further explained that bipedalism aided humans in hunting by allowing freeing their arms to carry weapons to kill animals. As a result, they did not need the help of canines to hunt, but material culture. Rodman’s and McHenry’s hypothesis mirrored Darwin’s a bit because he also agreed that bipedalism aid humans in their environment while quadrupedal was a hinderance. Rodman and McHenry believed that bipedalism allowed humans to pick food and be protected from predators. However, Lovejoy on the other hand focused on a sexual dimorphism. This was the building block of his argument, that humans became bipedal because males had to adapt to having a free hand to provide for the mothers and offspring, this increased survival and longevity. The difference between the male and female body plays its part because it allows bigger males to acquire more food thus, outliving the smaller