Awed by the encounter, Catcher's arms fell to his sides as he watched the stately ape leave, exuding a graceful might. Fearing that his protector's withdrawal would induce the cat's return, the young man hurried back the way he had come, treading his own pathway to evolutional destiny.
Author's Note
Educated guesswork.
That, in a nutshell, rather succinctly sums up paleoanthropology—the study of early human fossils. Granted, you can construe an awful lot from even a partial skeleton excavated from million-year old rock; the height, weight, and physical appearance of the long dead owner of those bones, plus likely diet indicated by dentition (that is the shape of the teeth) and even probable age. However, we must enter the murky realm of conjecture when considering the cultural aspects of ancestral man.
How did toolmaking and use come about? When did abstract thinking i.e. planning the manufacture and shape of tools in advance, enter hominoid development. What responses to selection pressures influenced the process of human evolution? Which of our forebears undertook the first crucial use of fire? Why did spiritualism arise in a naturalistic world?
Without too much doubt Australopithecus afrarensis, the grandiose Latin name for the progenitor ‘Upright', is widely regarded as being the ancestor of subsequent Australopithecine ('southern ape') and Paranthropus ('near man') strains, as well as the Homo genus which led directly to us, Homo sapiens sapiens. More simply put, Australopiths make up the trunk of the human tree of which we form the crown. That pivotal position made them excellent candidates to be the core of the ‘human’ side of my tale.
Evidence credits a direct descendant, Homo habilis ('handy man'), with a crucial leap in human conceptualism: rudimentary toolmaking. Man-apes certainly made use of unmodified tools found at hand in the wild in much the same way chimpanzees do so today: a broken stick or bone used as a makeshift club or skewer, throwing stones for pelting other animals, a folded leaf employed as a makeshift drinking cup. Clapping together two stones to haphazardly produce a usable shape might not seem like a big step forward, but such hammering required basic forethought. And that was a significant breakthrough in the development of cognition. Crudely knapped stone choppers would jumpstart the brain and result in increasing inventiveness that would ultimately lead to computers and spaceflight.
And this is where the controversy begins.
H. habilis is by no means a clear-cut member of the true-blue human club. Despite a scattered number of important finds, its classification in the Homo genus is ambiguous at best. In the interest of better storytelling and my own personal belief, I subscribe to the school of scientific thought that advocates this species be redefined due to its apish short legs and long arms as Australopithecus habilis. While definitely on the road to humanity, A. habilis is still stuck in the gravel and not yet up on the tarseal with us.
The human fossil record remains frustratingly incomplete, poorly understood, and publicly open to interpretation. Therein lies the beauty of conjecture. Anything is conceivable. Physical proof gives us the foundation of knowledge, while the imagination provides the theories that fuel healthy debate.
For example, there is a popular movement within the anthropological scientific community to quantify anew what indeed defines humanity. This hotly contested definition rests not on a classification or even a word, but a simple letter. The phrase hominid, long associated with describing the lineage of Man, is set to be reapplied to the great apes—gorillas, chimpanzees, and orang-utans—and their antecedents. Hominin will be ascribed to modern and extinct humans, not to mention our immediate ancestors, incorporating the genera Homo, Australopithecus, and Paranthropus. Not all the experts and laypeople agree, creating a ruckus in academic circles. Who knew changing a d to an n would prove to be such a bone of contention?
Labelling the robust Uprights as Paranthropus instead of Australopithecine is just as controversial. Now that's another topic begging deliberation.
I hope I have given you food for thought. Bon appetite.
Glossary
Acheulean (a-shool-ian)
Stone tool culture prevalent 1.2 million to 500,000 years ago consisting of pointed hand axes and cleavers. Named for the place in France where they were originally found. Associated with Homo erectus.
Asphalt Stork
Alternate name for the La Brea Stork (Ciconia maltha).
Australopithecine (ostra-lo-pithi-sin)
Fossil primate genus found in Plio-Pleistocene African deposits exhibiting ape and humanlike characteristics.
Barrier Range
The steep volcanic hills walling the northwest side of the rift valley Firewind Veldt is sited in.
Beringia (bair-rin-jee-ah)
1,000-mile wide tundra plain between Siberia and Alaska, bridging the American and Asian continents over four glaciations during the Pleistocene epoch when ice lowered the ocean levels to expose submerged land. Called also the Bering Strait land bridge. See Paleo-Indians.
Berranian
Technologically advanced race of spacefaring humans; native of Berran, a lifeless Neptune-sized planet orbiting a dead star four light years distance from Earth in the Cygnus Constellation.
Blackmud Mire
Tar pits occupying southwest corner of Scrubland Domain. Frequent place of entrapment for unwary herbivores and careless predators. See Rancho La Brea.
Bison
North American bovid species. Specifically refers to the Pleistocene Bison antiquus ('Ancient Bison'), the direct ancestor of modern day subspecies. Ranged from southern Canada to Mexico. Abundant until displaced by modern bison 8,000 years ago. Hunted by Paleo-Indians.
Bonecruncher
Colloquial name for the African Spotted hyena. Applies also to the only North American hyena species, Chasmaporthetes ossifragus.
Cenozoic era (seen-a-zo-ik-'recent life')
The geological era following the Mesozoic era, the Age of Reptiles, from 65 million years ago to the present day. Subdivided into the Tertiary and Quaternary periods. Misconstrued as the Age of Mammals, wherein fact birds and flowering plants evolved and flourished alongside mammalian species. Also notable for the drifting continents settling into modern outlines and positions.
Clawfoot
Generic colloquialism for African big cats, notably the lion and cheetah but later expanded to include the newly introduced Dinofelis.
Curvehorn
Colloquial name for Pelorovis antiquus, the giant, long-horned African buffalo. Anatomically similar to the modern Cape Buffalo, but longer-legged and suited more to open, grassland living. Lived in southern, eastern and northern parts of the continent two million to 6,000 years ago.
Deathwing
Colloquial name for Pleistocene condor-like raptors. Geographically refers to Teratornis merriami ('Merriam's Teratorn'), giant North American predatory vulture with a 14 ft wingspan that existed in California, Nevada, Arizona and Florida up to 10,000 years ago.
Dwarf Pronghorn
Superficially resembling modern pronghorn species, Capromeryx minor was much smaller: 2 ft tall at the shoulder and weighing a paltry 22 lbs. Fossils found in California, Texas and Dakota.
Escarpment, The
3,000 ft high cliffs that drop precipitously away from the savannah plateau to the endless dune fields of Wastesand.
Experimental Weapons Agency
Tsor armaments factory credited with inventing and perfecting—among other wartime devices—a matter conversion, beam riding transportation system plus navigable time travel. Suffice to say these engineering milestones died with the annihilated reptiloids.
Firewind Veldt
East African savannah epitomised by a sward of grasses, acacia trees, and seasonal bushfires.
Fleetfoot
Colloquial name for the North American Western Horse (Equus occidentalis). Resembled but unrelated to the modern zebra. Distributed across the United States, this equine died out in its evolutionary birthplace 11,000 years ago. Horses did not re
appear until the Spanish conquistadors made landfall in the sixteenth century. See Striper.
Fusard bomb
Teleported Tsor thermonuclear device responsible for exploding the Berranian FIRE lab and creating the asteroidal fragment that impacted Late Cretaceous Earth, effectively ending the reign of the dinosaurs and destroying the Tsor evolutional nursery.
Gigant
Shortened scientific classification for Gigantopithecus blacki, a species of giant ape. 9-10 ft tall; 600-1,200 lbs weight. Native to southern Asia thirteen million to 500,000 years ago.
Giraffalope
Colloquial name for Sivatherium maurusium. A relative of the giraffe and okapi, this short-necked animal resembled a large, heavily built antelope. 6 ft tall at the shoulder; horns 2 ft high; weighed 580 lbs. Died out one million years ago.
Greenshadow
Lowland jungle foresting the misted bottom slopes of Firewind Veldt's sole mountain. Rumoured to be sentient and carnivorous thanks to the resident chimpanzee troop. See Whitetop.
Greylings
Elder race of extraterrestrials; official caretakers of the universe; their former homeworld, long since irradiated by the fires of nuclear war, is sited in the Bootes Constellation.
Grunter
Colloquial name for animals pig-like in appearance and behaviour. Geographically refers to the bush pig (Kolpochoerus paiceae) and giant warthog (Metridiochoerus andrewsi) of East Africa that went extinct 500,000 years ago and the two North American Pleistocene peccaries: the Flat-head Peccary (Platygonus compressus) and Long-nosed Peccary (Mylohus nasutus). Both peccary species lived in the Midwestern United States up to 10,000 years ago.
Hexaprotodon sivalensis
Scientific classification for the Plio-Pleistocene hippopotamus of India and Pakistan characterised by possessing six incisor teeth.
Hideaway Thicket
Northern forested area of Scrubland Domain treed with a mixture of familiar deciduous and evergreens.
Home-rock
103 ft high natural rock formation providing habitable grottos for the local gracile Uprights in the northwest corner of Firewind Veldt. See Scraggly Bush.
Hominin
The debatable retitling of the hominid phrase describing modern and extinct human species, including Homo, Australopithecus and Paranthropus.
Homo erectus ('erect man')
Early human species credited with the first use of fire 300,000 years ago and the first evidence of coordinated hunting. The first hominin to migrate outside of East and South Africa, reaching China, England, Indonesia, Romania, Russia, and Spain. Lasted 2 millions years as a species, dying out only 50,000 years ago.
Honker
Colloquial name for Pleistocene waterfowl, specifically the North American Graceful Pygmy Goose (Anabernicula gracilenta).
Hookbeak
Colloquial name for carrion birds. Refers to the various species of East African vultures and the Pleistocene Western Vulture (Coragyps occidentalis) of the American Midwest.
Howler
Colloquial name for Canus dirus ('the dire wolf'). 5 ft 6 in long. Closely related to modern timber wolves. Found in Pleistocene America from southern Alberta to Peru. More than 1,600 fossils are preserved in the Rancho La Brea tar pits, California. Anatomically differed from living wolves by having larger skull and teeth, stronger jaws and shorter legs. Also describes the smaller, cousinly coyote and jackal.
Large-headed Llama
The robustly built Hemiauchenia macrocephala stood 6 ft at the shoulder and enjoyed a mixed diet involving both browsing and grazing.
Longleg
Colloquial name for the single-humped dromedary.
Lumpback
Colloquial name for camels. Geographically refers to the Western Camel (Camelops hesternus) abundant in the western United States, southwest Canada, and Central Mexico up to 10,000 years ago. Hunted by Paleo-Indians.
Marshy Green
The swampland situated in the northwest corner of Scrubland Domain twenty-four miles distant from Sunning Rock.
Melanism
Dark colouration of skin, hair, fur, or feathers.
Murky Watering
Twenty-five miles east of Home-rock, this waterhole is the chief source of freshwater in the immediate vicinity. Initially formed by rainwater filling a crater, it is supplemented by a tributary meandering from a larger, unnamed river to the north.
Nosehorn
Colloquial name for the Black or White rhinoceros.
Oldowan
Early stone tool culture appearing 2.4 million years ago characterised by crudely made cutting and chopping implements. Named for the Olduvai site in Tanzania where they were first discovered. First associated with A. habilis.
Oresh, The
Tsor warrior faction renowned for daring wartime exploits reliant more on luck than good military planning.
Outer Range
The vast prairie beyond Sentry Hills. Grazed by bison, horse, pronghorn, and camel. The preferred hunting ground of the American lion.
Paleo-Indians
First Native Americans, who crossed the Bering Strait land bridge from Asia into North America to hunt 15,000—8,000 years ago. See Beringia.
Pleistocene epoch (plis-toh-seen)
Earth time period 1.7 million to 10,000 years ago. Beginning of the Quaternary period and followed by the Holocene epoch. See Cenozoic era.
Pliocene (plio-seen)
Last epoch of the Tertiary period 5.3 million to 1.7 million years ago.
Rancho La Brea
Los Angeles region where crude oil has seeped out of ground fissures for the last 40,000 years in 100 asphalt pits. Yielded one million fossil bones representing the myriad of American Pleistocene species depicted in this book.
Raptor
Bird of prey. Specifically describes the Pleistocene Woodward's Eagle (Amplibuteo woodward).
Reptiloid
Original Berranian designation for a member of the Tsor race; an amalgamation of the words reptile and humanoid to denote their upright, saurian stance.
Roarer
Colloquial name for lions. Geographically refers to the American Lion (Panthera leo atrox) subspecies that ranged from Alaska to Peru before becoming extinct 10,000 years ago. Hunted by Paleo-Indians. Also describes the African lion.
Sabretooth
Generic name for the Sabretooth cats. Specifically refers to:
+ The North American species Smilodon (smy-loh-don: ‘knife tooth') fatalis that lived up to 11,000 years ago. Over 4,000 fossilised skeletons have been uncovered in Rancho La Brea.
+ Dinofelis (dy-noh-fee-less: ‘terrible cat') of east (D. barlowi) and south (D. piveteaui) Africa. Lived five to 1.5 million years ago. This prehistoric leopard was the likely ancestor of Homotherium.
+ The scimitar-toothed cat Homotherium latidens, existing in Africa, Eurasia and North America three million to 500,000 years ago.
Scraggly Bush
Acacia bushland surrounding Home-rock.
Screecher
Colloquial name for the vervet monkey.
Scrubland Domain
Flatland region littered with boulders. Thirty miles wide, forty-eight miles long, this basin encompasses fringe habitats as diverse as fen and forest.
Sentry Hills
The range of low, barren hills forming the northern border of Scrubland Domain.
Shaggyhump
Colloquial name for the giant Ground Sloths of the Pleistocene, generically known as Megatherium, that spread north from South America into southern North America. Of the four species, two are found in Rancho La Brea deposits: Harlan's Ground Sloth (Paramylodon harlani) and the smaller, less common Shasta's Ground Sloth (Norotheriops shastensis). The entire genus went extinct 9,400 years ago.
Shrub Ox
Common name for Euceratherium collinum. Three-quarters the size of modern bison, this foothills grazer roamed from northern California to Mexico, dying out only 8,000 years ago.
Sky-
bull
Curvehorn colloquialism for the maker of thunder. Lightning are its horns and rain its urine.
Sky-bushes
Sabretooth colloquialism for clouds.
Speeder
Colloquial name for the mid-Pleistocene cheetah Acinonyx intermedius. Larger than the modern species, this cat was found in Africa and the Far East. Applicable also to the North American cheetah species Miracinonxy inexpectatus and M. trumani that died out one million years ago.
Squaremuzzle
Colloquial name for the giant Plio-Pleistocene baboon Theropithecus oswaldi. Lived four million to 400,000 years ago in eastern and southern Africa, not to mention Spain and India. Refers also to Dinopithecus ingens, a large tree-dwelling baboon that existed 1.5 million years ago.
Stag-moose
Common name for Cervacles scotti. Had the physical appearance of a spindly-legged moose bearing a slender elk-like face helmeted with multipart palmated antlers. Lived like modern moose, preferring wetlands. Distributed throughout midwestern United States. Extinct 10,000 years ago.
Stripeback
Colloquial name for skunks. Geographically refers to the Short-faced Skunk (Brachyprotoma obtusata) of Pleistocene North America that was similar in form to the living Spotted Skunk. Also describes its African equivalent, the zorilla.
Striper
Colloquial name for the Cape Zebra (Equus capensis). Larger than the modern plains zebra, it died out 12,000 years ago.
Sunning Rock
50 ft high slab of weather-beaten rock in the southeast corner of Scrubland Domain. Favoured by the Sabretooth pride for sunbathing and as a vantage point.
Taker
Colloquial name for the Short-faced Bear (Arctodus simus). Larger even than the polar bear. Predominantly carnivorous, unlike omnivorous modern bears. Widespread from Alaska to Mexico. Extinct 12,500 years ago.
Tapir
The Plio-Pleistocene California Tapir (Tapirus californicus), the only representative of the tapir genus on the North American continent, did not survive into modern times.
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