The Early Hominins

Question 1

What is the Valois angle?

Answer 1

Femurs pointed in toward knees, allows humans to transfer weight over their feet

Question 2

What are the benefits of bipedalism?

Answer 2

-cooling of earth- less rain forest more Savannah (could see for longer distances)
-body heat regulation (less area exposed to the sun)
-freed hand
- more efficient
16-11 mya

Question 3

What are the disadvantages to bipedalism

Answer 3

• harder to bring blood to brain(gravity)
• more stress on knees hips back and feet
• females have to support more weight when pregnant

Question 4

What is the trend in dentition for hominins

Answer 4

Relatively smaller incisors and canines and larger molars (cheek teeth) 4-2 mya

Question 5

What is prognathism?

Answer 5

The reduction of the face

Question 6

Why was a more reduce face selected?

Answer 6

Stronger chewing architecture and more relaxed

Question 7

What did the cranial capacity of hominins start to increase?

Answer 7

2 mya this was defining trait for the homos started with Australopithecus (380-530cc)

Question 8

What is the first known member of the homo genus? And what is the cranial capacity?

Answer 8

Homo Habilis 630-640

Question 9

When was the first evidence of culture and what was it?

Answer 9

2 mya and tools and language appear

Question 10

Describe ardipithicus remidus

Answer 10

• Ethiopia 4.4mya
• best evidence for bipedalism(forward position of the forum magnum)
• lived in forest

Question 11

Name all the Australopithecus’s

Answer 11

• anamensis (4.2mya)
• afarensis (4-3mya)
• bahrebghala (3.5-3mya)
• africanus (3-2mya)
• garhi (2.5mya)
• Aethiopius (2.5mya)
• robustus (1.8-1mya)
• Boisei (2.2-1.3 mya)