On Fri, 2 Jun 2000 11:05:33 -0500, Ray Audette <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Modern domestic animals that produce high fat have been bred to emphaze
>traits shared by all Pleistocene Megafauna.  These fat storing animals
>dominated during all but the last 10k years of the last two million years
>of homo sapien history.

Could you please show some references, that make you describe
"fat storing animals dominating" in the last 2 mio years of
homo sapiens history?

Storing of fat (in amount) is found and useful to animals living in
regions with very cold climate or seasons with periods of
food shortenings.
Like the arctic or the glacials in europe.

I agree, that in glacials (cold phases of the ice age) such conditions
existed *in northern areas*.
Of course the thermals (worm phases) have been totally different and
similar to today (woodlands). So was the fauna.
In glacials, hunting humans had the possibility of to find greater
fat resources in animals. The most important glacial animals were:
Cave-Hyena, Cave bear, Lion, Moschus-Ox (Ovibos moschatus)
Ren, Mega-Deer, Deer, Ox, Steppe-Bison, Horse, Mammouth.
*Some* of them may have been fat in autumn/winter, and in winter they
have been the *only* food resource
(on the drawings most don't look fat at all).

But it's not looking like europe (or other northern areas) have been the
origin of humans anchestors > 30k years ago.
Europe has  500k years history of various genus "homo" - the last ones
"neanderthal" (for 120k years).
Which all died out. Where did the rest of the 2 mio year ice-age happen?

If we want to look at the long-term anchestors of presently surviving humans
(including neanderthal or not) IMO
we have to look elsewhere. Possibly in africa or other (today tropical)
areas.
This was  nearer to the equator and without cold seasons.

>.. Temperate covered a far larger part of the earth
>during ice ages and is the only climate where early homo sapiens have been
>found.  Most of the earth's land mass (including most of europe, asia and
>africa) consisted of temperate steppe-tundra and temperate dry savannah
>during this period.  Ice caps covered only the most northern and southern
>parts of the continents (including Africa).

There's a map of africa in glaciation times at:
http://www.esd.ornl.gov/projects/qen/NEW_MAPS/africa1.gif

The climate was not cold, but dry. No cold seasons.
I have no references, which animals liven in zones like
. Tropical extreme desert (very sparse vegetation, or completely barren)
. Tropical semi-desert (sparse scrub or sparse grassland)
. Tropical grassland (fairly closed grassland without many trees or shrubs)
. Savannah
. and a little tropical rainforest left.

But I can't see a reason or ecoligical advantage, why these animals should
mutate so obese as to contain 30% to 40% of fat.
Today in such savannahs and grasslands i recall grass-ruminating animals
like gnu or zebra.
How much fat has a Zebra, anyway?
Certainly not "2-3 inches" like a mammouth had.
Therefore, please cite references, which would give some reason to the
idea of more fatty animals in such grasslands.
African hunters may please report, how fat such a gnu or zebra actually is.

>Homo sapiens have never thrived in tropical regions as evidenced by our
>lack of ability to withstand the onslaught of tropical diseases..

He and we have managed to conquer this areas and overcome its difficulties
like any other landscape on earth. Like the arctics too, but in much
greater number in the tropics as in the arctics.
Of course todays tropical africa was just dry landscapes in the ice ages
and not prone to deseases like in today's humid climates.

The real energy source for a grassland dwelling human is IMHO still not
mentioned here.

cheers

Amadeus S.