Chapter 10 Flashcards
morphological
pertaining to the form and structure of organisms
habitual bipedalism
bipedal locomotion as the form of locomotion shown by hominins most of the time
obligate bipedalism
bipedalism as the ONLY form of hominin terrestrial locomotion; since major changes in the spine, pelvis, and lower limb are required for bipedal locomotion, once hominins adapted to this mode of locomotion, other forms of locomotion on the ground became impossible
Sterkfontien
site in South Africa producing fossil evidence of foot structure of early hominins
honing complex
the shearing of a large upper canine with the first lower premolar, with the wear leading to honing of the surfaces of both teeth; typical of most Old World anthropoids but it mostly absent in humans
Aramis
site in Ethiopia’s Middle Awash region; yielded more than 6000 fossils; partial skeleton found “Ardi”
australopiths
a colloquial name referring to a diverse group of Plio-Pleistocene African hominins; Australopiths are the most abundant and widely distributed of all early hominins and are also the most completely studied
sectorial
adapted for cutting or shearing; among primates, this term refers to the compressed (side-to-side) first lower premolar, which functions as a shearing surface with the upper canine
sagittal crest
a ridge of bone that runs down the middle of the cranium like a short mohawk; serves as the attachment for the large temporal muscles, indicating strong chewing
endocast
a solid impression of the inside of the skull vault, often preserving details relating to the size and surface features of the brain
Plio-Pleistocene
pertaining to the Pliocene and first half of the Pleistocene, a time range of 5 to 1 mya; for this time period, numberous fossil hominins have been found in Africa
