ANTH 1000 - Ch. 7 Flashcards
bipedalism
the mode of locomotion in which an organism walks upright on its two hind legs, characteristics of humans and their ancestors; also called bipedality
abduction
movement aware from the midline of the body or from the center of the hand or foot
adduction
movement toward the midline of the body or to the center of the hand or foot
Ardipithecus ramidus
one of the earliest bipeds that lived in forested portions of eastern Africa about 4.4 million years ago
Australopithecus
the genus including several species of early bipeds from East, South, and Central Africa living between about 1.1 and 4.3 million years ago, one of whom was directly ancestral to humans
savannah
semi-arid plains environment as in eastern Africa
diastema
a space between the canines and other teeth allowing the large projecting canines to fit within the jaw
Kenyanthropus platyops
a proposed genus and species of biped contemporary with early australopithecines; may not be a separated genus
gracile australopithecines
members of the genus Australopithecus possessing a more lightly built chewing apparatus; likely had a diet that included more meat than that of the robust australopithecines; best represented by the South African species A. africanus
robust australopithecines
several species within the genus Australopithecus, who lived from 2.5 to 1.1 million years ago in eastern and southern Afric; known for the rugged nature of their chewing apparatus (large back teeth, large chewing muscles, and a bony ridge on their skull tops for the insertions of these large muscles)
sagittal crest
a crest running from front to back on the top of the skull along the midline to provide a surface of bone for the attachment of the large temporal muscles for chewing
law of competitive exclusion
when two closely related species compete for the same niche, one will out-compete the other, bringing about the latter’s extinction
