ABSTRACT
In 1942, the German pathologist Westenhöfer postulated an aquatic mode of life during an early stage of human evolution: the homo aquaticus (Westenhöfer, 1942). This idea was later supported by the British marine biologist Hardy (1960). Gradually adopting an upright posture would have been useful since it would free the hands to poke around and find food, while maybe also allowing the ape to wade into deeper water. Some suggest that a semi-aquatic past can also explain many modern human peculiarities (reduced body hair, increased subcutaneous fat, descended larynx and encephalization).
