44th human-orangutan synapomorphy

[Ken Kinman]

John,
     I'm pretty sure that is not what Richard was suggesting.  And I don't think it is a very reasonable possibility.  I do think it is reasonable to conclude that many of your proposed synapomorphies are plesiomorphies (or other homoplasies), and thus my suggestion that orangutans and hominids could occupy adjacent clades rather than clading together (as you propose).  So in conclusion, I think you might want to heed the advice of not getting "carried away" on your synapomorphy lists.  But somehow I don't think you will, so I give up and am moving on to other things.  However, I strongly suspect you are greatly underestimating the mechanical ability of chimps, capuchin monkeys, etc.
    -- Ken

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John Grehan wrote:
     Richard's suggestion that the mechanical ability is something ancestral to primates and lost in all groups except orangutans and humans is a reasonable possibility.