(Leney, 00). In later years this adaptation evolved to australopithecines who were still arboreal bipedal fruit gatherers. Only when they started to become terrestrial creatures did they adapt to be fully bipedal (Jacobs, 90).Another cause for the move to bipedalism was suggested by Wheeler in 1991 and it referred to thermal regulation (Jacobs, 90). This theory stated that bipedalism resolved thermal stress on hominids in open equatorial environments and allowed hominids to remain active in the open during the day (Leney, 00). Having bipedal qualities makes the body higher off the ground where cooler temperatures and higher winds are present. This greater amount of wind created less need for sweating to cause evaporation; thus vital body fluid was conserved. Also, direct solar exposure was minimized because the surface area receiving solar rays was less (Jacobs, 90).In 1981 Owen Lovejoy suggested that behavioral mechanisms were a factor in the switch to bipedalism. This behavioral mechanism helped hominids in reproductive processes. Having the hands free to carry food and other things to the mate and offspring is seen to be a strong selection factor for choosing a mate. Having a such factor helps with reproductive success in a monogamous mating structure similar to what humans have today (Jacobs, 90). When the creature supplied his family with food he was ensuring monogamy. Ensuring monogamy enhanced his survival chances greatly. This also caused shorter breeding intervals which helped give the hominid an advantage over the competition (Rodman & McHenry, 00).Each one of these causes did not make early hominids bipedal alone. They all worked together to form the perfect combination of qualities to make the species better. Each one timed by evolution to eventually create what our species is today, Homo sapiens sapiens. Bipedalism did not just make hominids walk on two feet, it was the path that started a series of events tha...
