HOMININ DIETS AND LOCOMOTION

Early hominin diet

Fruits, leaves, woodland foods

Australopithecus diet

Mixed omnivory; tough plants and tubers

Paranthropus diet

Heavy-chewing specialists; roots, seeds, C4 plants

Homo habilis diet

Scavenging meat plus plant foods

Homo erectus diet

Increased meat consumption; cooking; hunting

Neanderthal diet

High-meat diet; cold-climate hunting

Homo sapiens diet

Highly flexible omnivory

What does early bipedalism indicate?

Forward placement of the foramen magnum

Key traits of Australopithecus

Bipedal; small brain; retained climbing abilities

Key traits of Paranthropus

Sagittal crest; huge molars; heavy chewing; NOT ancestors of Homo

Why is Homo habilis important?

First stone tools (Oldowan)

Why is Homo erectus important?

First out of Africa; fire use; Acheulean tools

Key traits of Neanderthals

Cold-adapted bodies; Mousterian tools; interbred with Homo sapiens

Key traits of Homo sapiens

Chin; symbolic behavior; advanced tools

Hypotheses for why H. erectus was able to leave Africa

Surviving to old age: Older individuals transmit more knowledge base and increased cooperation?

Trophic level increase: More meat eating?

Bipedalism: Committed and efficient bipedalism?

Expensive tissue Hypothesis

The introduction of higher-quality foods like meat supported the evolution of bigger brains as humans evolved smaller guts.