To throw is human

1. Is throwing a human thing?
2. What other animals can throw?
3. Why do humans throw?
4. Why are humans the only species that can throw?

Is throwing a human thing?

Throwing dates back 2 million years to Homo erectus. Development of the offensive throwing of projectiles is mostly a development of the human lineage, although the aimed throwing of sticks and rocks by male chimpanzees during agonistic displays has been observed, first described by Jane Goodall in 1964.

What other animals can throw?

Some primates, including humans, can throw objects such as rocks, sticks, and feces as projectiles. Primates that are known to throw are humans, bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, capuchins, certain gibbons and perhaps some baboons and Japanese macaques (although not rhesus macaques).

Why do humans throw?

The researchers found that humans are so good at throwing because our body stores energy in our shoulders. Scientists refer to this banked power, which puts a strain on our bodies, as “elastic energy storage.”

Why are humans the only species that can throw?

It turns out that human physiology is uniquely adapted for throwing. Goldman writes: Throwing probably gave our early ancestors a better chance of acquiring a meal, and wouldn't have been possible without various skeletal and anatomical adaptations that allowed for the rotation of the arm and pelvis.