Bipedalism means to walk upright. Studies show that this might have occured in humans before their brains started to get larger, about 6-7 m.y.a but why did we start walking on 2 feet?
There are different theories to why early humans began walking on two feet and these theories include:
- They started walking upright because they needed to free their arms in order to make tools (this was actually disapproved because they found early humans started walking before they started using tools)
- They walked upright to collect food for their mates which then made them more attractive to a mate which meant they would reproduce and their genes would be passed down.
- The walked upright to cross the hot savanna
- To see over the tall African grass.(Scientists also think this could not be plausible because according to research hominids started walking upright in forest habitats.)
- We walked upright to wade across water
- To be more energy efficient
- Helped hominids spot predators
- It was easier to get food that was higher above them, like on a tree.
The theory that I found seemed the most realistic was that hominids started walking on two feet to collect food that was not reachable from a non-bipedal position. This theory states that while on the ground we would reach up to grab fruit that hung from small trees. This then led us to using this as a regular habit because it was so convenient. This seemed the most logical theory because it was an adaptation to our an environment and we needed not to think very much about it. Even if this theory is wrong, why does it truly matter that hominids started walking? Well bipedalism contributed to a shift that had a great signifigance in human evolution. It not only changed us anotomically, like an arch in the foot due to supporting the body weight, shorter toes, etc. It changed the way hominids related to the world and allowed them to find many new opportunities.
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