*Hominin Origins Flashcards
Who was the earliest hominin?
Sahelanthropus, 7-6 mya
When do the first hominins appear?
7-6 mya, and spend the next 5 my restricted to Africa
Who was the earliest well documented biped?
Australopithecus afaranesis. Possible ancestor to all later hominins
Who was a possible transitional species between Australopithecus and homo?
Australopithecus sediba
The first hominin with post cranial remains 6 mya
Orrorin tugenensis
The oldest potential hominin, well-preserved cranium, very small brained, 7-6 mya
Sahelanthropus tchadensis
In the eocine (56-33 mya) how many new species were created?
200
What epic event happened during the Eocene
adaptive radiation of anthropoids: massive increase in species from a single stem group.
Where were eocine fossils found?
North America, Europe, asia and africa
Which era did early primates evolve in?
Cenozoic
When looking back at the fossils what were certain differences in the Eocene animals?
- first primate characteristics - they resembled lemurs and lorises
- widely distributed around the world
- mostly extinct by the end of the eocine
Where did the earliest anthropoids evolve?
- africa
When was the Oligocene?
33-23mya
What are most of the Oligocene anthropoids called?
- old world anthropoids, all discovered from Egypt
- mid Oligocene they became called new world anthropoids
What are the dates of the Miocene ?
- 23-5 mya
- the Miocene is sometimes called the golden age of hominoids
during the Miocene significant chanes in what occurred?
-climate and repositioning of land masses
Homo erectus differs most distinctly from both early Homo and Homo sapiens in what?
Cranial size
When did a massive hominin radiation occur in the Miocene?
5mya
The term Homo ergaster refers to?
H. erectus specimens found in Africa
What conclusions can be drawn from Miocene hominin fossils ?
- these are hominoids- more close to ape-human lineage than old world monkeys
- they are mostly large bodied hominoids
- most of the Miocene species are probably not ancestral to any living form
