Accidental island voyagers--response.

Ruxton and Wilkinson intimate that early humans may have washed up on islands like coconuts ([ 1 ][1]). They are correct to point out that not all sea voyages need be intentional, nor do they necessarily have to be made in seacraft. There are many cases showing that animals can be accidental voyagers, hitching rides on natural rafts or driftwood. This certainly could pertain to unfortunate humans caught up in the types of aquatic catastrophes Ruxton and Wilkinson envision. I do not deny the possibility of accidental island landings by small numbers of humans, but in terms of archaeological visibility, these would be very difficult to document. ![Figure][2] CREDIT: ALAN SIMMONS It is unlikely but within the realm of possibility that accidents could account for some of the early remains I noted. There is even an interesting literature, generally dismissed by contemporary anthropology, proposing that premodern hominins, or "aquatic apes" ([ 2 ][3]–[ 5 ][4]), may have been well adapted to water environments. However, as Ruxton and Wilkinson note, we are dealing with issues of scale. The nature of the archaeological record requires a search for patterns. When numerous examples of a particular cultural period are found within a restricted area (islands in this case), a considerable population might be inferred. This is unlikely to be the case in the accidental scenario. Furthermore, one must take into account the likelihood of viable groups in such accidental scenarios. Although it is not impossible that both men and women could be swept away to islands by natural events, it seems unlikely that sustainable rates would be high even if they survived their time adrift. Finally, in my later examples (the Neolithic), there is no doubt that actual colonization was occurring. For example, the Neolithic colonists of Cyprus arrived with a full suite of domestic plants and animals, and quickly established permanent villages. Such intentionality could not have been accidental. 1. [↵][5] 1. H. Harries , Bot. Rev. 44, 265 (1978). [OpenUrl][6][Web of Science][7] 2. [↵][8] 1. E. Morgan , The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis (Souvenir, London, 1997). 3. 1. M. Vergaegen, 2. S. Munro , HOMO-J. Comp. Hum. Biol. 62, 237 (2011). [OpenUrl][9][CrossRef][10] 4. 1. M. Vaneechoutte, 2. A. Kuliuka, 3. M. Verhaegen 1. S. Munro, 2. M. Verhaegen , in Was Man More Aquatic in the Past? M. Vaneechoutte, A. Kuliuka, M. Verhaegen, Eds. (Bentham Science Publishers, Oak Park, IL, 2011). 5. [↵][11] 1. R. Wrangham 2. et al ., Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 140, 630 (2009). [OpenUrl][12][CrossRef][13][PubMed][14][Web of Science][15] [1]: #ref-1 [2]: pending:yes [3]: #ref-2 [4]: #ref-5 [5]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1 in text" [6]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DBot.%2BRev.%26rft.volume%253D44%26rft.spage%253D265%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [7]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=A1978GT06500001&link_type=ISI [8]: #xref-ref-2-1 "View reference 2 in text" [9]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DHOMO-J.%2BComp.%2BHum.%2BBiol.%26rft.volume%253D62%26rft.spage%253D237%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1016%252Fj.jchb.2011.06.002%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [10]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1016/j.jchb.2011.06.002&link_type=DOI [11]: #xref-ref-5-1 "View reference 5 in text" [12]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DAmerican%2BJournal%2Bof%2BPhysical%2BAnthropology%26rft.stitle%253DAmerican%2BJournal%2Bof%2BPhysical%2BAnthropology%26rft.aulast%253DWrangham%26rft.auinit1%253DR.%26rft.volume%253D140%26rft.issue%253D4%26rft.spage%253D630%26rft.epage%253D642%26rft.atitle%253DShallow-water%2Bhabitats%2Bas%2Bsources%2Bof%2Bfallback%2Bfoods%2Bfor%2Bhominins.%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1002%252Fajpa.21122%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F19890871%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [13]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1002/ajpa.21122&link_type=DOI [14]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=19890871&link_type=MED&atom=%2Fsci%2F339%2F6118%2F392.2.atom [15]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000272105000004&link_type=ISI