Hominin Evolution

Question 1

What are primates? List some of their features

Answer 1

Primates are mammals that have a combination of features such as
- opposing thumbs
- forward-facing eyes with binocular vision
- a large brain
- lives in social groups
-flexible shoulder joints
- flattened fingernails
- acute vision

Question 2

What are hominoids?

Answer 2

Hominoids are apes from the Hominoidea. they include all apes but not monkeys

Question 3

What are hominids?

Answer 3

Hominids are a group consisting of all modern and extinct great apes (modern humans, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans + immediate ancestors). These are all the animals in the Hominidae family

Question 4

What are hominins?

Answer 4

Hominins are a group consisting of modern humans, extinct humans species and all immediate predecessors (including members of the genera Homo, Australopithecus, Paranthropus and Ardipithecus, Kenyanthropus, Sahelanthroupus, etc) members of the tribe Hominini

Question 5

List the trends in Hominin anatomy

Answer 5

• larger cranium
• flatter face
• lighter jaw
• smaller teeth
• more anterior located foramen magnum
• finer zygomatic arch
• the larger heel bone

Question 6

What is the out-of-Africa hypothesis?

Answer 6

The out-of-Africa hypothesis states that homo sapiens first evolved in Africa and then spread out from there, replacing populations of homo erectus, etc. This explains why there is Neanderthal DNA in modern humans.

Question 7

Evolution diagram