The Waterside Ape: An Alternative Account of Human Evolution

by Peter H. Rhys Evans

Why are humans so fond of water? Why is our skin colour so variable? Why aren’t we hairy like our close ape relatives? A savannah scenario of human evolution has been widely accepted primarily due to fossil evidence; and fossils do not offer insight into these questions. Other alternative evolutionary scenarios might, but these models have been rejected. This book explores a controversial idea – that human evolution was intimately associated with watery habitats as much or more than typical savannahs. Written from a medical point of view, the author presents evidence supporting a credible alternative explanation for how humans diverged from our primate ancestors. Anatomical and physiological evidence offer insight into hairlessness, different coloured skin, subcutaneous fat, large brains, a marine-type kidney, a unique heat regulation system and speech. This evidence suggests that humans may well have evolved, not just as savannah mammals, as is generally believed, but with more affinity for aquatic habitats – rivers, streams, lakes and coasts. Key

Genres: Science, Anthropology, Evolution, Nonfiction

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[EK · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting premise, but I found the poor editing to be really distracting. Sections are repeated (notably the section on apocrine/eccrine glands, which is outlined in nearly the same way two chapters in a row). At the beginning of chapter 19, the global population in the year 2000 was estimated at 6.6 million with an m. There are far too many pages spent on complaints about how proponents of this theory are scientific pariahs. While it is very true that most fields of scientific inquiry could do with more openminded curiosity about evidence and less groupthink, it is difficult to imagine a less persuasive way of making a case than to repeatedly say "nearly all the experts feel that we are wrong".

Much of the argument is predicated on the idea that in the absence of clear evidence, we can rely on conjecture about how things might plausibly have worked in the past, interpreting the little evidence we do have using nothing more than common sense. The problem is that this is exactly what the author accuses his critics of doing: cherrypicking data and making up stories to explain it, and throwing out "facts" that need far more critical examination or citation (such as "if the birth canal became too wide, her pelvis would be broader and she would lose the ability to run" or "if descent of the larynx was an adaptation for speech, we would expect the male larynx to be far better adapted than adult females, but the reverse is true" or that it was natural for women in some unspecified culture to give birth in the ocean until missionaries nefariously put a stop to the practice). Unfortunately, the interesting evidence for or against the theory is very hard to see against this backdrop.

Tldr: I am not unconvinced, but I am not convinced either. 🤷‍♀️

[Elentarri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rhys-Evans provides an up-to-date account of all the paleontological, environmental and medical evidence for the aquatic ape hypothesis. The information is interesting, makes use of well-referenced scientific articles, and applies logic where gaps need to be filled in. A variety of human "attributes" are compared with similar attributes in terrestrial, semi-aquatic and aquatic animals. Any speculation on the author's part is noted as such. This is not a popular science book as such, since there are no interviews, anecdotal or fashion commentaries (thank you!). The information is presented in a straight-forward manner, with the use of the correct technical terms for anatomical organs/structures, which may require some effort on the part of non-medical readers. Illustrations are provided where relevant. My only issues are with the some-what erratic organization of the sections; a failure on the author's part to fully explain why something mentioned is relevant (sometimes it is obvious, sometimes not); and the lack of flow and cohesion between sections. This book really could have used an editor to make the narrative flow more smoothly. Regardless of its faults, the information contained in this book is fascinating and really should be read by anyone even vaguely interested in human evolution.

[Jill Schroeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because I'd read Elaine Morgan's The Aquatic Ape and find the theory to be so much more likely than one where our ancestors dropped out of the trees and started running across the savanna after lions. This discussed how our bodies changed from being in the water from an anatomical and dietary point of view.

[Jamie Stott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found it an excellent read, well written, well researched, fair and balanced. Excellent all round.

[James Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very compelling and convincing book. Very enjoyable to read and accessible. Nothing like I have ever read before on human evolution. An instant classic!

[Roger Morgan-Grenville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating theory about the journey our species just might have taken.

[Gerald McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Major Hypothesis Strongly Argued

Well written and referenced, fairly balanced although always returning to the interesting underlying hypothesis that extended time in waterside environments near the Rift Valley of Africa selected for hominids with key adaptive features that helped the progression toward modern Homo sapiens. Artificial selection within populations, which also seems plausible, and similarly, the elimination of other tribe-equivalents, are not discussed. The book persuades me to read recent work by the master of human evolution, Desmond Morris.