Exam #2 Flashcards
- Over 6 mya first hominids appeared
- About 2.5 mya human line split
- One line developed big molar/premolar teeth for chewing and became extinct about 1 mya
Hominid Evolution
The other line evolved larger brains, smaller teeth, and faces, and started using stone tools.
Robust Australopithecines
A species from the second line evolved into the homo genus, and eventually into our species
Gracile Australopithecines
Anatomically modern humans (_____________) are about 160,000 years old
Homo sapiens sapiens
(all fossils in our species)________, (are old and modern looking) 500,000 years old
Homo Sapiens
All members of our genus Homo
2,000,000 years old
All Hominids regardless of genus
6,000,000 years old
Hominid line split from ape line
5-7 mya
Earliest evidence of hominid:
Sahelanthropus tchadensis at 6;7 mya
Evidence at 5.8-5.2 mya
Ardipithecus ramidus/kadabba
Possible evidence ar 6 mya
Orrorin tugenensis
who appeared 4.2 mya?
first australopithecus appear and is a hominid
2 lines of hominids evolved
3-2.5 mya
- Larger back teeth.
- Only robust in head.
- Thicker and heavily built.
Robust australopithecines (paranthropus)
- Smaller back teeth and jaws .
- Thinner and lighter built head
Gracile australopithecines
First evidence of genus homo
2.5 mya
- Brain is ½ of modern humans.
- Large face and teeth. -Short legs, used stone tools for scavenging animals flesh
- It’s been argued that this species should be reclassified as australopithecus habilis
Homo habilis
The birthplace of modern hominids
Africa
Location of major hominid sites
- Chad
- Ethiopia
- Kenya
- Tanzania
- South africa
7 early hominid species existed prior to 3 mya
- Sahelanthropus tchadensis (6-7 mya)
- Orrorin tugenensis (6 mya)
- Ardipithecus ramidus (5.8-5.2 mya)
- Ardipithecus kadabba (5.6-5.8 mya)
- Australopithecus anamensis (4.2-3.8 mya)
- Australopithecus afarensis (4-3 mya)
- Kenyapithecus platyops (3.5-3.2 mya)
- (only cranial remains so) there is a debate to whether it really was bipedal
- Very small cranium (320-380 cc), same size as chimp
Sahelanthropus tchadensis (6-7 mya)
- Found in 6 mya old sediment
- (probably spent time in trees but also walked)
Orrorin tugenensis (6 mya)
-Had FORAMEN MAGNUM (the large opening at the base of skill where the spinal cord enters) (may reflect bipedalism)
Ardipithecus ramidus (5.8-5.2 mya)
Historically it was believed that bipedalism evolved on the open savannah. However modernly we know that isn’t true. It is now understood that bipedalism evolved in thickly wooded forests.
The savannah hypothesis
- Earliest confirmed well-known hominids
- Confined to africa
- Definitely bipedal
- Multiple species, some living simultaneously
- Relatively small brains (400-500cc)
Australopithecines
- Again, ancestral (ape like) and derived (bipedalism) features are mixed, showing that all these features did not arise at the same time. MOSAIC EVOLUTION (we didn’t start walking after getting a big brain, but we just started using our bodies to walk)
- A. anamensis may be a direct lien to later hominids
Australopithecus anamensis (4.2-3.8 mya)
Discovered “Lucy”
Donald Johnson
- Lucy was one
- Pelvic bones and femur clearly indicated bipedalism
- bipedalism=hominid
- Laetoli footprints
Australopithecus afarensis
These footprints from 3.75 mya shows characteristics associated with bipedalism
Laetoli footprints
A gap between the the teeth (between incisors and canines for primates (A Afarensis)
Diastema
The projection/protrusion of the lower face (A. Afarensis)
Prognastism
- Means “flat faced man from kenya”
- Doesn’t have proganthism
Kenyanthropus platyops
-Robust has very thick looking teeth
-Robust comes after gracile (one of gracile evolved into robust
-The robust’s bigger teeth might be the main reason why they survived better than the gracile.
“Robust” ONLY refers to teeth
The three species of robust australopithecines
Robust australopithecines’ cheek teeth
First species from East africa
-Australopithecus aethiopicus
-Australopithecus (E. Africa)
-Australopithecus boisei
-Australopithecus (S. Africa)
-Australopithecus Robustus
-Australopithecus (S. Africa, Tawny Child, Gracile)
-Australopithecus africanus
-Australopithecus E. Africa, Lucy, Gracile)
-Australopithecus afarensis
Raymond Dart discovered the “Tawny Child”
-Australopithecus africanus
- Initial estimates of age at death 5-7 years.
- However growth incremenents in tooth enamel suggest that the age of death was 3-4 years.
- Matured 20-50% faster than modern humans
Maturation of Australopithecus africanus