On the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis

Why does everyone love the beach? We can think of no better explanation than us having evolved there. This theory is clearly ridiculous, but very hard to argue against - to our knowledge the scientific establishment has offered no strong rebuttal.

After all, it makes quite a lot of sense if you think about it. The beach is a great environment if you’re looking to escape the intense ape competition in the forest - lots of protein, and shellfish don’t even run away.

Our bodies seem to be well adapted to littoral life, too. Subcutaneous fat to keep us warm, large scooplike hands and slightly webbed fingers and toes for better swimming, large sinuses that make the head more buoyant, the mammalian diving reflex, no hair, the ability to hold our breath.

It also provides a narrative for some of our more difficult-to-explain developm ...