Chapter 34- human evolution Flashcards
Humans belong to a group of primates called ___ (aka ___). Modern humans are the only living ones.
hominins (hominids)
Hominins are (were) ___
bipeds
An ___ ___ posture freed up the hands to carry objects such as tools, food, and young. An ___ ___ also allowed for a better view of predators, important when hominins moved out of the forests and into the savannas.
upright bipedal
upright bipedal
Molecular and fossil evidence suggests that hominins diverged from the ancestors of the chimps around ___ to ___ million years ago.
5, 8
- The oldest know hominin, 6-7 million years old
- Relationship to later hominins is unknown
- Only known from a skull and some other fragments
Sahelanthropus tchadensis
Ardipithecus ramidus
- “___”
- ~4.4 million years old
- A biped with a ___ foot like an ___
- Probably spent much time in the ___
- Relationship to later hominins is uncertain
Ardi
grasping, ape
trees
Australopithecines
- “___ ___”
- There were several species of these early hominins
- Bipeds
- ___ sized brains and ___ skulls
- ___ legs, ___ arms
southern ape
Chimps
ape-like
short, long
Australopithecus afarensis
- “___”
- ~3.5 million years old
- size: ___
- Known from several fossilized skeletons and ___
- Possible ancestor of later hominins
Lucy
small
footprints
- 2-3 million years ago
- The first australopithecine discovered
- Probably not an ancestor of modern humans
Australopithecus africanus
- A Genus of robust, planting eating hominins
- At least 2 species
- Survived up to about 1 million years ago
- They are not ancestors of modern humans
Paranthropus
Homo habilis
- “handy man”
- Over 2 million years ago
- The first; or one of the first; member of Genus Homo, the first ___
- Had a larger ___ than any australopithecine
- ___ sized
- Had smaller ___ ___ and smaller ___ than australopithecines
- They made simple stone tools
- Relationship to later hominins is uncertain
human
brain
Small
brow ridge, teeth
- Discovered in 2013 in South Africa
- 15 individuals
- A strange mixture of advanced and primitive traits
- Age uncertain
- Relationship to other hominins is uncertain
Homo naledi
Homo erectus
- “___ ___”
- Appeared almost 2 million years ago
- The first hominin to spread out of Africa to Europe and Asia
- Fairly large ___
- ___ to ___ feet tall
- Probably good ___
upright man
brain
5, 6
runners
homo erectus
- Social, living in groups of 20-50
- Made ___ ___
- True big game hunters unlike earlier hominins
- Used fire by 500,000 years ago
- Probably should be considered a group of species, in fact many call the earliest African variety ___ ___
- Probable ancestor of later hominins
- May have survived in Java until 30-40,000 years ago
stone tools
Homo ergaster
Probable direct ancestor of modern humans and neanderthals
Homo heidelbergensis
