Evolution

This morning, in the course of investigating the relation of the English word random to the French word randonnée, prompted by something BH came across in the Jane Duncan book she was reading, I came across a babiroussa in Larousse.

The little picture which came with it suggested that all four canine teeth grow upwards, which seemed all wrong. Upper canines grow down and lower canines grow up. But checking with wikipedia at reference 1, I find that Larousse has got it right, all four canines do indeed grow up, at least in the males.

From which I went on to speculate whether, in the course of the evolution of this trait, the upper canines had slowly rotated, one clockwise and one anti-clockwise, eventually coming to a halt at their present position. But then decided that the truth was probably less exotic, and some random (see below) mutation had just flipped the gene which tells these particular teeth whether to go up or down.

Presumably a relative of the prize pigs described by Tom Harrison in 'Savage Civilisation', last noticed at reference 2. And I feel sure that he has been noticed elsewhere, but I can't find where.

PS: the story about random and randonnée turns out to be complicated, but a link suggested by Littré may that the latter is a hunting term for what the hunted animal does when flushed out of wherever it is it has been hiding. Draws itself up to its full height, casts around for a bit and then charges off in some direction or other, seemingly at random. While google talks in terms of the word mean a hike and OED talks in terms of ranging artillery, with at random once meaning at extreme range. And, again, I feel sure that all this been noticed before, but I can't find where. Memory clearly in trouble this morning.

Reference 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babirusa.

Reference 2: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/conspicuous-consumption.html.