hominin species

preaustralopiths

sahelanthropus techadensis, ardipithecus ramidus

miocene to pliocene (7 to 4.2 mya)

eastern africa, north central africa

“facultative” terrestrial bipedalism, arboreal “climbing”

frugivore with leaves

• earliest known hominins

• lived in wooded or savannah woodland mosaic habitats

• small brain, like apes

• small molar and premolars, thin enamels

• reduced facial projections (synamorphy w/ other hominins)

• foramen magnum faces inferiorly (synamorphy w/ other hominins)

• canine slightly smaller, less projecting than apes (synamorphy w/ other hominins)

sahelanthropus techadensis

found in north central africa

• at the time would have been a lake shore

• now its a barren landscape

cranial specimen

• small brain size

• small teeth (molar and premolar), projecting canine

• less projecting than ape

• foramen magnum faces inferiorly

ardipithecus ramidus

found in ethiopia, layer of volcanic ash (use argon argon to radiometric date)

fossils aren’t well preserved, very delicate

• less projecting canine teeth

• less of face projection

• simple teeth, small molar and premolar

• small brain

• foramen magnum faces inferiorly

• “ardi” —> doesn’t know if it has valgus knee, but has a human like pelvis (short and lateral)

• big toe is divergent —> why is facultatively bipedal (which means and climbing)

gracile australopiths

australopithecus (means southern ape) afarensis (afar triangle location), australopithecus africanus

pliocene to early pleistocene (4.2 to 2.0 mya)

eastern, southern, north central africa

terrestrial bipedalism, some arboreal suspension and climbing

frugivores with leaves and nuts and seeds, meat, mechanically tough food because jaw is durable

wooded or savannah-woodland mosaic habitats

larger brains than apes (meaningful increase by 20%)

large molar and premolar with blunt cusps and thick enamel, thick jaws, and further reduced canine

LUCY

has sexual dimorphism in body size, but modest in teeth size

possibly made stone tools

australopithecus afarensis

east africa and northern part of africa

paleo environment in hadar, ethiopia

• geochemistry of fossilized teeth

• animals that eat grass have a diff. isotopic signal

• there was a mixed location (moasic of habitats)

laetoli, tanzania

• found hominin footprints —> HAD ADAPTATIONS FOR BIPEDALISM

• big toe is abducted

lucy

selam

• infant specimen

evidence spent time in trees

• can rotate shoulder joints which helps them climb trees

• not long lower limbs, proportionally smaller feet

• large molar and premolar teeth

  • have high bite forced

• reduced canine

dikika

• founded bone with cut marks on them

• scars from using stone tools

lomekwi

• use of stone tools

• lomekwian tools: coarse tools, broken rocks seen together, serration with little chips knocked out

australopithecus africanus

southern african

robert brune and john robinson

“litle foot”

• most complete hominin fossil ever discovered

• same characteristics as aferensis

robust australopiths

parathapus (means next to humans) boisei (benefactors to the leaky), paranthapus robustus

latest pliocene - early pleistocene (2.7 to 1.4 mya)

numerous hominin found

terrestrial biped?

living in grassy habitats, some wet and some dry

able to bite hard down on their food (high bite/jaw forces)

• large teeth

• have a sagittal crest

• huge cheek bones

same size brain as gracile australopiths

• think tooth enamel

• small canine and incisors

high sexual dimorphism but not with teeth

parathapus boisei

in the rift valley

first discovery in olduvai gorge by lewis and mary leakey

in the turkana basin

• grasslands are spreading over time

• more grass eating species

• find robust in dry habitats like this compared to gracile in mixed

cranial dental adaptations

• smaller body mass than humans but have much larger teeth and thicker mandible

• huge area on teeth to grind objects

• eating foods that were difficult to process

paranthapus robustus

every specimen is located in johannesberg, south africa —> swartkrans is a sinkhole site

massive zygomatic bones, muscles around cheeks, big temporal muscles

shift in the fauna with more grass eating antelope

• drying out of eastern africa

early homo

homo habilis

latest pliocene to early pleistocene (2.8 to 1.4 mya)

eastern africa, southern africa

terrestrial bipeds and some arboreal climbing/suspension

possibly omnivorous

lived in mosaic habitats as environments became cooler and dryer

brain size larger than australopiths

smaller molars, premolars, and mandibles than australopiths (synamorphy with later homo)

less projecting

precision grip (synamorphy with later homo)

long upper limbs… partially arboreal

homo habilis

olduvai gorge by leakeys

tool use

specimen OH 7

• precision grip

• having a larger brain

• must be tool maker, handy man

• big teeth, chunky mandible

• tips of molar cusps are more outside like humans than australopiths

australopiths and homo habilis lived. in the same place at the same time

paleoenvironment

• cooler and dryer

• appearing in areas after this transition

climber

• longer upperlimbs

one species or two?

archaic homo

homo erectus, homo heidelbergensis, homo neanderthalensis

pliestocene (2 mya to 40 kyr)

africa, asia, and europe

terrestrial bipedalism NO climbing

omnivores including meat

first recognizably human

large brain and body size

modern post cranial skeleton

reduced molar, premolar, and mandible

reduced sexual dimorphism

increasingly complex stone tools

controlled use of fire

ecologically flexible why they leave africa in a short period of time

buried or systematically disposed of their dead

homo erectus

substantial expansion of the range of hominins

trinil, java indonesia

• dubois

• large brow ridge, receding forehead, small cranium capacity

zhoukudian, china

• reduction in jaw size and tooth size

• using less force when chewing food

knwt 1500

• a boy who was 8-12 years ago when he died on the edge of a flood plain

• limb proportion is very human

acheulian tools

Dmansi, Georgia

• earliest evidence of hominins outside of africa

• evidence of advanced social behavior

  • individual lost its teeth during its life

  • getting assistance from other individuals in the group

homo heidelbergensis

mauer mandible

bigger brain than homo erectus

cranium is rounded and taller

thickest brow ridge in middle and thinner on the sides

broad distance between the orbits

spreads through europe, asia, and africa

• transformation from homo erectus to heidelbergensis

• exception of indonesian isalnds

homo neanderthalensis

european species of homo heidelbergensis

atapuerca - sima de los huesos

• people dropped dead bodies

• may not be a ritual

• found 17 crania

cranium no. 5

• even thickness of brow bones

• enormous opening to nasal cavity

• retromolar gap in the mandible

homo neanderthalensis

midde to late pleistocene (200 kyr - 40 kyrs)

• atapuerca ones have same size brain as heidelbergensis

• neanderthal in comparison have very large brains

• cranium is rounder

example of anagenesis

• evolutionary transformation within a lineage over time

kebarra cave

• neanderthals def buried their dead

• shorter than people but massive/stocky

• their forearms and legs were shorterned because of thermoregulation

• lived in cold areas

• used fire

mousterian tools

• middle paleolithic tools

• flake based tool

• each core produces more than one tools

  • different shapes, wide diversity of tools

• sophisticated tech.

hafted tools

• made notches to rocks to connect to sticks with leaves

la chappelle aux Saints

• pathology that led to neanderthal reputation actually shows how individuals cared for other int eh community

modern homo

homo sapiens

middle pleistocene to present (300 kya to today)

initially africa to global

large size

terrestrial bipedalism

omniovore including meat

• most often monogamous 

• large brain

• tall, rounded cranium, widest superiorly

• small flat face, small teeth and jaws

• reduced, divided brow ridge

  • groove runs obliquely through the brow ridge

• there’s a chin

• relatively tall and lanky

• technologically sophisticated

• become behaviorally and ecologically flexible and colonize the world

• art, symbolism, modern language

jebel irhoud (early modern human)

• origin of human

• large brain, side is longer

• front bone is more steep, taller and higher cranium

  • neanderthal: egg shaped cranium

• large brow ridges

• CHIN

• anagenesis with modern humans in africa

skhul

• now second dispersal of modern homo

• archaic version of a modern homo

• still have prominent brow ridges

qafzeh

• chin, reduced brow ridges, relatively vertical human

• beginning to transform epigenetically

middle stone age tools

• same tech that neanderthals use

pestera cu Oase: 40 kyr

• in europe and contact with neanderthal

• this individual had a neanderthal great great great grandparent

• interbreeding among h. heildelbergensis (asian), neanderthals, and modern humans

cro-magnon:

• full suite of human characteristics

aren candide:

• holding a stone blade and wearing a cap woven with perforated shells

  • tool for hurdling spear buried with her

  • meaningful burial: cognitive sophistication

upper paleolithic tools:

• punch technique allows you to take more than 20 blades

  • increased efficiency

• bone harpoons: greater exploitation of marine 

• using needle to stitch animal hide

lascaux, france

• cave drawing

• able to depict perspective

• horse symbolism: abstract or impressionist representation

• derive meaning from flat images

animal figurines

therianthropes: half animal half human

venus figurines: shows meaning

• cultural significance

• is it hair, clothing?

• able to weave things together

music

paint

• neanderthals lived in europe during glacial periods

• adaptations to the cold

  • reduced surface area for heat retention

    • short arms and legs

    • stocky trunk

  • enlarged nose and nasal cavity for warning air or radiating heat to limit sweating

• the colonization of europe by homo sapiens

  • who don’t have anatomical adaptations to the cold

  • radiates heat instead

  • show up when its cold and becoming increasingly cold

  • triumph of culture over climate: more advanced tech, broader use of resources, more complex social behaviors