Origins of Bipedalism

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT This article aimed to review various theories of bipedalism and provide a holistic answer to human evolution. There have been two questions regarding bipedalism i) why were the earliest hominins partially bipedal?, and ii) why did hominins become increasingly bipedal over the time and replaced their less bipedal ancestors? To answer these questions, the prominent theories in the field, such as the savanna-based theory, the postural feeding hypotheses, and the provisioning model, are collectively examined. Because biological evolution is not a simple causation; there may be multiple answers to the evolution of bipedalism. The postural feeding hypothesis (reaching for food/balancing) provides an explanation for the partial bipedalism of the earliest hominins. The savannah-based theory describes how the largely bipedal hominins that started to settle on the ground became increasingly bipedal. The provisioning model (food-gathering/monogamy) explains questions arising after the postural feeding hypothesis and before the savannah theory in an evolutionary timeline. Indeed, there are no straight lines between the theories, and multiple forces could have pushed the evolution of bipedalism at different points. Finally, the arboreal hominins that possessed ambiguous traits of bipedalism were eliminated through the choice and selection. Using the biological analogy of the okapi and giraffe, efforts were put to explain how one of the branches (Homo) became increasingly bipedal, while the other (Pan) adapted to locomotion for forest life by narrowing the anatomical/biological focus in evolution.