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Re: Cave Critters Big and Small

PostPosted: Mar 21, 2016 12:37 pm
by hiflier
I'm not too surprised but it is pushing things a bit IMHO. I think we all pretty much know how other senses kick in when a particular one is unavailable. Even being sensitive to air pressure changes and such subtleties as light sound being blocked by an object close by are some examples. Caves have a certain resonance where sound is more enclosed as opposed to essentially moving away openly from a subject. Owls can hear mice under snow because of the configuration of the flat hairs on the face that are sensitive to sound. Fox ears are the same when looking for food under snow. Nature is cool like that. My guess is even large creatures have all their senses tuned right down to skin and feet picking vibrations from other animals at whatever distance. In the case of elephant feet it can be a sound felt from miles away. Honestly, this stuff is amazing.

OK, time for a joke: A man on a horse out west came upon a Native American who had his ear to the ground. He asked him what was up and the NA replied Buffalo were about a mile away and he estimated the group to be around 500. The Cowboy was impressed and asked how he could possibly know such things. The Native American replied that it was simple the Buffalo the herd had come through and trampled him flat about ten minutes ago.

Anyway, to bring it all home to topic I'm obviously more interested in the "Cave Critters Big" part of the thread's title.

Re: Cave Critters Big and Small

PostPosted: Jun 13, 2018 9:25 pm
by hiflier
Hi everyone, this may be a strange way to jump start a slow phase in the Forum's activity but maybe it will kill two birds with one stone? I don't think I ever really explained the backstory of why I was interested in the 'big' animals that may visit a cave although some of you may remember what 'big animal it is that I am talking about. It goes like this and I think you can follow along OK. (Spoiler Alert- it is lengthy, but somewhat entertaining):

There was a film that was shot over fifty years ago back in 1967 of one of these SUPPOSED extant creatures. And I will get right to the point. I am very familiar with the Human Intermembral Index as it relates to limb proportions along with that of other primates but this isn't about the HIM. What I see on that film is entirely in regard to the norm for an average Human male's height to shoulder span ratio. That ratio is 4:1 where the average shoulder span of an average six foot Human male is 18.6 inches, which generally means 25% shoulder span to that of the height. The subject on the film has a height to shoulder span ratio of 2.32:1. What that translates into is that at a height of say, 6 feet, the shoulder span would be an unbelievable 30". I have been pursuing this subject because a 2.32:1 ratio is at least incredible if not altogether impossible. Other qualified investigators studying the film clip have arrived at a height of 6'5" which, by virtue of this 1:2.32 ratio) puts the shoulder span at nearly 3 feet.

For a Human inside a costume with a 30" shoulder span to be able to have their arms hang down and then swing normally is somewhere in the area od being of impossible. The study of the mechanics alone that would accomplish such a function has been extremely frustrating even though, trust me, the alternative to Human is honestly unthinkable- and highly disconcerting. But my drive for the truth has effectively overcome my unwillingness to ever even broach the subject with any learned individual in academia. It simply flies in the face of common sense, not to mention nearly all currently accepted lineage models, within primatology. I am not out to convince you of anything but I will say this: Any assessments that I have made regarding this being a Human in costume have failed. I also need to adamantly assure you that I am not a practitioner of confirmation bias. I am after a reasonably scientific answer to my focused and studied question regarding what this phenomenon truly is. Because personally, since I do not have an answer, I am just left with an highly inordinate and complex issue.

This is a caving Forum. I think this 'creature', whatever it is, nestles in caves when weather is very, very hot or very, very, cold. I signed up here to see if there was anything found 'out there' that might support this line of thinking. No one need respond to this but I though it prudent to explain myself a bit and give the criteria that I have been basing my thinking on. The late Dr. Grover Krantz, PhD in anthropology, mentioned this shoulder span thing back in 1995. No one has pursued it or is pursuing it as far as I know but me. Ah well..... :shrug: :shhh: