Dexterity

[MrFun]

Originally posted by OzzyKP
What evolutionary advatages did being bipedal offer the early lizardmen?



btw, what evolutionary advantage did being bipedal offer us humans? I forget. If we were swinging from trees and such, why become all rigid and upright?

But that's the thing -- bipedalism developed in our ancestral species because they began living on the ground, not because they continued living in the trees.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by OzzyKP
What evolutionary advatages did being bipedal offer the early lizardmen?

btw, what evolutionary advantage did being bipedal offer us humans? I forget. If we were swinging from trees and such, why become all rigid and upright?

The bipedal form seems to offer a solid range of capabilities without specialisation. IOW it's the form of a generalist. A generalist trades specialisation for adaptibility. It may not be ideal for stable niches, but is unsurpassed for seizing new environs and niches.

For example, a centaur has certain advantages over humans. It can run faster, but humans have great endurance. In fact, running down preys to the point of exhaustion was one way how our ancestors hunt.

[Jon Miller]

Re: Dexterity

Originally posted by MrFun
I'm working on a new sentient species for an idea I have for a potential fantasy novel.

I got a question -- if a bipedal sentient species, with two arms and one hand at the end of each arm, has only four digits -- three fingers, and one thumb -- on each hand, how will this affect the dexterity of this sentient species?

How would this sentient species have evolved over time in adapting with the use of only four digits instead of five, in terms of being able to manipulate/exploit objects, make tools, and so on? Would this sentient species create different versions of hand weapons and tools than ones created by a sentient species with four fingers and a thumb on each hand?

Let me know how feasible this is, and anything I need to consider if I want to go ahead with this. And if you have answers to my questions above, that is great.

Thanks guys.

you goign to write the book or are we?

JM

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


The bipedal form seems to offer a solid range of capabilities without specialisation. IOW it's the form of a generalist. A generalist trades specialisation for adaptibility. It may not be ideal for stable niches, but is unsurpassed for seizing new environs and niches.

For example, a centaur has certain advantages over humans. It can run faster, but humans have great endurance. In fact, running down preys to the point of exhaustion was one way how our ancestors hunt.

****, I get tired running down the block.

[Odin]

Originally posted by OzzyKP


****, I get tired running down the block.

We evolved for WALKING long distances for hours on end, not running. We are also the sweatiest creature on earth (most mammals get rid of most of thier heat by panting, not sweating), which is why we have no hair, execpt in smelly areas and to protect our head from direct sunlight.

[Mercator]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
For example, if the joints of the can bend backwards like bird's knees, that adds extra dexterity.

Birds' knees bend just like ours. The backwards bending part you see are their ankles; similar to, say, the hind legs of deer.

Evidence:

[Japher]

Longshot from the X-Men had three fingers and a thumb and he had a surprising amount of dexterity... one of my favorite characters too