Opposable Thumbs Or Not?

[Guest lightheart]

In a recent thread the idea of opposable thumbs was mentioned. What evidence exists that they either have them or don't? Is it possible that some do and others don't? What are some things that they might not be able to do without them? Could they make a knot without them? How would this limit them in their environment? How would they compensate?

[MIB]

"I don't know". 

 

With that out of the way now ..

 

Some of the hand/knuckle casts in the collections of Cliff Barackman, Jeff Meldrumn, and others show features that are best explained by an opposable thumb.   Some reports include a proportionally longer palm section to the hand with the thumb nearer the base and not as opposable (if that's a right word) as ours, some indicate a scaled up, super-sized human hand.  

 

It would seem that throwing would require a very different motion and distance / power / accuracy would be harder to achieve without a thumb.   Climbing  would be tougher particularly with nails instead of claws. 

 

I try not to pre-judge but in this case, everything I can think of points to one to a degree that any claim of lack of one makes ye olde eyebrow start to rise as if to salute a red flag.  

 

MIB

[Guest]

If bigfoot exists it is almost certainly a hominoid (ie, an ape, lesser or greater).  All extant apes have an opposable thumb.

[Guest lightheart]

Cliff Barackman mentions an opposable thumb but suggests that it sits at a different angle maybe than ours. I wonder what the print on the Bridges glass door in W Florida looked like?

[southernyahoo]

I think it would be contrary to great ape evolution to have developed bipedalism and useless thumbs at the same time. They might be positioned slightly different on average but they have to grab prey and a club now and then.

[hiflier]

Hello All,

 

All the better to stealthily snag a Zagnut ot two should the opportunity arise In all seriousness though a NON-opposable thumb would toss out the idea of tree twisting for one thing which gets mentioned fairly often as a sign of presence.

Edited August 11, 2014 by hiflier

[Guest lightheart]

Good point Hiflier. It would probably rule out a number of things associated with them in many reports.

[Guest]

In a recent thread the idea of opposable thumbs was mentioned. What evidence exists that they either have them or don't? Is it possible that some do and others don't? What are some things that they might not be able to do without them? Could they make a knot without them? How would this limit them in their environment? How would they compensate?

Considering all modern apes have opposable and humans (another species of ape) also have opposable thumbs, it is likely that bigfoot has such as well. If bigfoot is something other than an ape then the thumbs might not be opposable.

[Terry]

Could not the many folks here who tell us they have seen a bf up close not tell us the answer?

 

t.

[hiflier]

Hello All,

 

For the sake of this topic, which I think is pertinent to the subject of Sasquatch, I'll say this- for the sake of discussion: Opposable thumbs may not have resulted in bipedalism; but bipedalism would depend a great deal on having opposable thumbs. But being largely bipedal without opposable thumbs would seem at the least to be a major evolutionary risk IMO.

Edited August 13, 2014 by hiflier

[Guest]

birds don't have opposable thumbs : )

[hiflier]

Hello antfoot,

 

LOL good point there. Ah well, never said I was a good debator with unassailable, iron-clad  comments.......one can only dream. I kinda thought birds wouldn't be in the spirit of things but whoever said cleverness like your's wouldn't bring a smile and some healthy humility to the topic (*).

 

 

(*Note to self: Try to create unassailable, iron-clad comments.) 

Edited August 13, 2014 by hiflier

[Guest]

kangaroos, wallabies, pangolins (at least some species seem to be partially bipedal). : )

[hiflier]

Hello antfoot,

Ahem....

[Guest]

 : )