Bipedalism In Human Evolution Essay

Bipedalism and upright posture are considered some of the most important characteristics that separate humans from other species. The article, “Kinship in a Footprint?” by Michael Day, delves into the significance of bipedalism in hominin evolution and the different ways in which bipedalism is studied.
He writes that bipedalism and upright posture are behavioral responses in relation to the environment for primate species. It is useful in increasing visual surveillance, displaying threats, social grooming, and transporting food, objects, and infants. These observed behaviors in primates are used in some of the theories as to why humans may have evolved to be habitually bipedal. The article points out that because of the limited early hominin fossils available, studying modern primates’ skeletal structures and the physiological factors that influence their locomotion behaviors is important. …show more content…
Yet, the modern human is still the only living model that displays habitual erect posture and bipedalism. This article points out that because of people’s anthropocentrism and belief that humans are superior to other species, modern bipedalism has often been believed to be the most successful form of bipedal locomotion. Those studying human locomotion sometimes fall into the belief that the bipedalism practiced by our hominin ancestors was inferior in comparison to the stride of the modern human. Anatomical differences between early hominins and modern humans is often used as evidence for this idea. This article rejects this way of thinking, suggesting that the bipedalism that our ancestors carried out was no less than our own and was adapted towards their specific needs for