Sean pointed out that Poul Anderson's Technic History also has four-armed aliens, the Gorzuni. It also has four-armed Ferrans and quadrupedal Wodenites and Donarrians. So, if evolution starts hexapodal, do some dominant species become four-armed whereas others become centauroid? See other hexapod-descendants in The Galactic Federation.
As I remember it, ERB's green Martians were not just four-armed. They had two arms, two legs and two intermediate limbs which could be used as either and this also applies to Ferrans but that is enough about multiple-limbed organisms for this early morning.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I actually thought of the Donarrians and should have thought of the Wodenites, and remember the Ferrans. But I was focusing on the Gorzuni, on how they raided Earth during the Time of Troubles, and were then defeated and driven back by the Terran Empire. Next, many of the more restless Gorzuni hired out as armed retainers and bodyguards for both reputable and disreputable humans: such as Admiral Cajal, Leon Ammon, and Aaron Snelund. They were certainly well qualified for that kind of work!
And I do think it is reasonable and likely that some intelligent races will evolve from quadrupeds like ours, and others will be centauroids, and so on.
Ad astra! Sean
ERB's Green Martians are six-limbed. But evolution on Barsoom seems to be very strange.. 8-). There are a number of different body-plants -- six-limbed, four-limbed, eight-limbed...
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Well, ERB was writing science FANTASY! (Smiles)
Ad astra! Sean
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