Chapter 10 Early Hominin Origins and Evolution (finished)

Question 1

When did the first hominins appear?

Answer 1

6-7 mya

Question 2

What is the foundational behavior of hominins?

Answer 2

bipedalism

Question 3

Difference in teeth between non-human primates and hominins?

list of 5

Answer 3

Blunt, nonprojecting canine
Small canine relative to size of other teeth
No diastema
Wear on tips of canines and of third premolars
Cusps on lower third premolar equal size

Question 4

Bipedal anatomical characterisics

list of 7

Answer 4

Foramen magnum on the bottom of the skull
S shaped spine
Short pelvis from front to back
Long legs
Knees angled toward midline of the body
Double-arched foot, including a well-developed Longitudinal arch
Non-opposable big toe

Question 5

Hunting Hypothesis
(include list of 4 characteristics that set apart apes and humans)

Answer 5

Charles Darwin:
Due to remarkable skeletal similarities between African apes and men, he concluded that humans must have evolved from Africa.
The driving difference is living on the ground.
Humans are bipedal, while apes are quadrupedal
Humans have tiny canines, while apes have large canines
Humans rely on tools in their adaptation, while apes do not
Humans have big brains, while apes have small brains

Question 6

Advantage of bipedalism according to the Hunting Hypothesis

Answer 6

Charles Darwin:
Bipedalism freed hands for carrying weapons. To manufacture these tools, they must have great intelligence. Once they had tools, they did not need large canines.

Question 7

Patchy Forest Hypothesis

Answer 7

Peter Rodman and Henry McHenry:
Bipedalism arose due to the forest environment becoming fragmented.
Quadrupedal movement between the forest patches was not efficient, and did not allow easy carrying of loads from one place to another.

Question 8

Provisioning Hypothesis

Answer 8

Owen Lovejoy:
Due to the disadvantages of offspring care for primates, early hominins developed such that the male would be able to bring more food to a monogamous mate, to improve reproductive success.

Question 9

Sexual Dimorphism and Human Behavior

Answer 9

The magnitude of dimorphism in early hominins was not large, so the theory is that males did not have to compete in the same way as other primates for access to females. This suggests that males were cooperative.

Question 10

“Lucy”

species and list of

Answer 10

Australophithecus Afarensis:
Brain size equivalent to chimpanzees
Bipedal
Intermediate curvature of phalanges(fingers)
3.5 feet tall
More or less finalized skeletal structure for hominins

Question 11

Oldest Species of Australopithecus

species and list of 3 traits

Answer 11

Australopithecus Anamensis:
Large canines
Parallel tooth rows in upper jaw
Lower third premolar with both a very large outer cusp and a very small inner cusp

Question 12

When did the genus Homo develop and from which early species?

Answer 12

2.5 mya from one of the smaller brained australopithecines

Question 13

First species of genus Homo?

Answer 13

Homo Habilis

Question 14

Homo Habilis and meat

Answer 14

Scavengers, used stone tools to break long bones to get to marrow, or to scrape meat from bones
Oldowan tools

Question 15

Trend analysis:

what is the connection between Homo Habilis’ tool making and their brain size?

Answer 15

Earliest stone tools appear along with increased brain size.

Question 16

Homo Erectus:

Time period, ancestor, list of 5 characteristics

Answer 16

1.8mya
Descendant of Homo Habilis
Better made tools
Greater variety of tool types
Different tools in different environments
Controlled use of fire
Acheulean Tools