4. Human Evolution I Flashcards
when did primate ancestors split into simians and prosimians
50MYA
what are prosimians
eg lemurs, loris, tarsier
-mostly nocturnal with grasping fingers
describe simians:
who are they ancestor of?
where did they originate from?
what are the two types?
1) direct ancestor of monkeys and hominoids
2) originated in Africa and Asia
3) New world monkeys, old world monkeys
describe new world monkeys
South America
marmosets, squirrel monkeys
describe old world monkeys
africa and asia
macaques, baboons
how did new world monkeys reach South Africa
via rafting
true or false: prosimians are sociable animals
false
SIMIANS are social
what is the superfamily of apes
hominoidea
what are the two families for hominoidea
hylobatidea
hominidea
out of these families which are known as the greater apes
hominidea
what are the key characteristics of apes
- larger brains relative to body size
- flexible behaviour
- tail-less
- highly sociable
- development of grip
- flatter feet- to walk on flat surfaces
compare chimps and Australopithecus
c- spine curved
a- s shaped spine
c- skull attached posteriorly
a-skull attached inferioiryl
c-arms longer than legs
a-legs longer than arms
what is closely related to h. sapiens
Australopithecus
describe ardipithecus ramidus
chimp sized brain
partly bipedal
walks upright
describe australopithecus
round jaw brain size of 35% modern human stocky build large teeth and jaw walks upright
what was ‘Lucy’
australopithecus afarensis
describe Lucy
skeleton was 40% intact
human like teeth
ape like head
how was homo Habilis different to Australopithecus
had a much larger brain
what was homo Habilis found with
many stone tools
what replaced homo habilis
homo erectus
describe the structure of homo erectus
5ft tall good walkers thick skull large brain rounded jaw
how were homo Erectus socially developed
used crude tools
built fires
lived in social groups
cave dwellers/ wooden shelters
who is modern humans closest ancestor
homo neanderthalensis
where did neanderthal man appear
600,000 y/a in Europe and west coast africa
how was neanderthal man different to modern humans
a foot shorter than average
larger brains
large skulls
how was neanderthal man socially developed
had sophisticated tools (wood + stone)
lived in huts/caves
took care of injured/sick
buried dead- indicates symbolic thought
what was the binomial name for cro-magnon man
Homo sapiens sapiens
who replaced neanderthal man
cro-magnon man
how was Cro-Magnon man socially developed
colonised lands successful hunters could run + move easily sophisticated tools use of language and facial expressions
why did crop-magnon man lose hair
traded for pigmentation
who was the first hominin to leave africa
homo erectus
