X-Nico

Killer ape theory

Concerning the eating habits from then until now, Dart argues that there has always been an ambition to eating meat: grubs and insects, bigger mammals and even human flesh (i.e. distinctive cannibalism) are the results.

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Until Raymond Dart found the Australopithecus africanus (1925a), this controversial problem could not be solved.

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Dart refers to the Australian anatomist Grafton Elliot Smith (1871–1937), a specialist concerning anthropology.

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The comment written by the editor of Dart’s article Dr. Alan H. Kelso shows how few scientists accepted the new ideas of Dart and Ardrey.

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(The names of Dart and Ardrey were combined by the professor Arturo character in the series into "Drayer" who purportedly came up with his world's "killer ape theory".)

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Another obvious evidence would be the rejection of Dart’s thesis by a scientific convention at Livingstone (Zambia, South-Africa), what led Ardrey into writing his book African Genesis.

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The Seville Statement on Violence, released under US auspices in 1986, rejected violence and in particular warfare as genetically determined.

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Both Dart and Broom, as well as Charles Darwin (1809–1882), agreed that this new type of locomotion brought a remarkable advantage in comparison to other co-specifics, to rival animals or to the quarry.

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The ability of making fire and remarkable social skills prompt Dart to bring them more in line with humans.

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Dart carries that issue to extremes and equips this new type of ‘carnivorous and killing’ apes (“proto-men” in his own words) with weapons.

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Observations from Sgt. H. B. Potter (Zululand, South Africa) show that this kind of development is still up to date as it is mentioned in The predatory transition from ape to man by Raymond Dart.