This chapter, and the one to follow are concerned with the physiology of primates and hominids
which has much bearing on the subject of this book, the Yowie. While the authors have aimed this
book at the lay reader and amateur relict hominologist researcher we do not wish to confuse the reader
with a lot of scientific terminology, so we will keep technical information as simple as possible except
where necessary.
As we are dealing exclusively with Australia, the authors do not intend pursuing a detailed
account of Asian-African primate structural features, showing only what is essential to our argument;
those who wish to pursue the matter further can find plenty of scientific literature on the subject
elsewhere.
These chapters are an attempt by the authors, to present anatomical evidence in support of the
fossil remains described in Chapter Four. For unlike the wild-eyed “Yowie catchers” described at the
beginning of this book, the authors are rational and methodical scientific researchers who prefer to
build up a well-established SCIENTIFIC basis for the past and present existence of these beings.
We have, we believe, already established a Homo erectus identity for the traditional toolmaking,
fire-making “hairy people”, the ‘hairy’ title of course referring to the crude native animal hide
garments manufactured and worn by these people. Yet, as we have also shown, the name ‘hairy man’
under whatever variation Australia-wide, referred also to any non-Aboriginal [ie Australoid] race that
had preceded them and with whom they shared this continent.
Thus, besides the average modern human height Yowie/Homo erectus, our Aboriginal people
recognised ‘little hairy people’ [ie pygmies] of more than one race [even though they often lacked body
hair]; a larger ‘hairy man’ of up to 2.8 to 3 metres height and the ‘Rexbeast’ of 3.6 metres height or
over! There was also another giant being, of bipedal ape appearance. This later ‘hairy man’ was
something else to our early tribespeople, for ‘he’ just did not quite fit into the ‘hominid’ racial slot,
which is quite evident from his long haired ape-like appearance.
His features, as described in Aboriginal
folklore, compare with those described by many early pioneer settlers accounts and are suggestive of
Gigantopithecus blacki, the giant Dryopithecine forest ape of Pleistocene Asia-Java, officially extinct there
for the past 100,000 years, but which could have reached Australia across the former land shelf to
survive here in Australia into much later, more recent times.
And there is also the tantalising prospect
that, if not the Asian Gigantopithecus, this race might have evolved here from our ‘unknown’ primate
fauna. Whatever the origins of this mysterious giant, the identity of these ape-like enigmas will only be
identified not from fossil footprints, but from actual fossil skeletal remains.
The 17 million year old primate hand fossil impression discussed in Chapter Four, displays
physical features typical of a species evolved to an arboreal existence. Unfortunately there are no other,
better preserved primate remains at present from Australia with which comparisons could be made,
although it does possess gibbon-like features. However, there can be no doubt that it is a primate hand.
Rex Gilroy
Australian Yowie Research Centre,
Katoomba, NSW
Monday 25th June 2007