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Jonah_the_Whale t1_jdvqefw wrote

Reply to comment by jlpulice in Why are nonhuman erect bipedal animals so rare? by violetmammal4694

I don't understand. What about the vast herds of migrating quadrupeds? They seem to manage pretty well.

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[deleted] t1_jdvr7mz wrote

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Krail t1_je2qpqb wrote

Those herds of migrating quadrupeds evolved from land-based quadruped ancestors, like most mammals. They already had an effective mode of locomotion for their environment that could develop and become more refined.

Our most direct ancestors were tree dwellers, with hands for hands and hands for feet, with hands and feet that were both built for gripping branches, and shoulders and hips that were both built for climbing and swinging. So as our ancestor's environment became less tree-dense, we came from a very different starting point that animals that were already quadrupeds.

For whatever reason, it was more advantageous for our ancestors to develop bipedalism rather than returning to being quadrupeds. There are lots of factors here, and we don't know all of them. One very likely factor is that, we already had limbs adapted for grabbing stuff, and having two limbs free for holding and carrying things has proven to be extremely advantageous for us.

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