Physical Development in Feral Children

Characteristics

A huge variety of bizarre physical abnormalities have been attributed to feral children, including bodies covered with hair, various differences in the shape of the skull, and arms longer than normal. (However, nothing about the diet of wolves' milk is going to change the size of the long bones in the arm, or the shape of the skull.) But it was the reported characteristics gave rise to to Linnaeus' classification Homo Ferus as four-footed, dumb and hairy.

Growth Retardation

Feral children, and otherwise abused or neglected children, can suffer from psychosocial dwarfism — growth retardation in which overactive stress hormones depress the child's growth hormone function. Following return to normal nurturing, growth recovers quickly. See the page on Psychosocial Dwarfism.

Senses

We know, from the keen sense of hearing that blind people develop, that human senses can become much more acute than is normal.

Feral children brought up by animals develop a particularly good sense of smell, keen hearing, and excellent sight — especially at night. However, they are quite impervious to heat, cold and rain. Even Genie showed no perception of hot and cold.

Bizarrely, several children are reported as having an offensive odour that wouldn't leave them despite washing, and weeks or months on a normal diet.

Kamala running on all fours

Ambulation

Many physical changes that feral children genuinely do undergo are brought about by walking on all fours. Their muscles develop differently, they acquire callouses on the palms of their hands and their knees, and their ankles and other leg joints become accustomed to being bent most of the time. Even once taught to walk on two legs, Kamala would still resort to all fours when running, and in that mode would outpace people running on two legs.

Of course, some children were found walking and running about quite happily. Wild Peter, Victor of Aveyron and Memmie LeBlanc (who was said to "run like the wind") are three examples. But we know that Peter and LeBlanc could walk before their stints in the wild, and it seems reasonable to assume that the same is true of Victor. And, clearly, the various gazelle-boys could all run.

Feral children are usually both strong and very dextrous physically. They can run (on all fours), climb and jump very nimbly and with great rapidity.