Hominin Family Tree

10. Homo Heidelbergensis

7. Homo Habilis

8. Homo ergaster

- date of existence: 800,000-200,000 years before present

- geographic location: africa, europe, asia

- bipedal adaptations: obligate bipeds (full-time)

- cranial capacity: 1,000-1,300 cc

- associated tools: middle paleolithic mousterian tools

- other; group structure, language, cultural advances: used anterior teeth to make clothing, persistence hunting, control of fire, omnivorous diet, intentional burials with grave goods, stone tool technology

does the species represent a human ancestor and why (connect to the human definition): The homo Heidelbergensis is considered a human ancestor as it has similar traits such as a larger brain size and increased cognitive abilities. They have a robust physique, use stone tool technology, and have symbolic behaviors such as communal lifestyle.

explain the place of ur hominin in the family tree, who that fossil evolved from/into: Homo Heidelbergensis shares a common ancestor with Homo erectus and is believed to have evolved from populations of Homo erectus in Africa or Europe.

- date of existence: Approximately 2.1 to 1.5 million years ago

- geographic location: East Africa, including regions of Kenya and Tanzania

- bipedal adaptations: bipedal locomotion, as evidenced by its limb bone structure

- cranial capacity: about 500 to 750 cubic centimeters

- associated tools: the Oldowan stone tool industry, representing the earliest evidence of tool use in the hominin lineage.

other :

- group structure: Presumed to have lived in social groups, possibly with some division of labor.

- language: No direct evidence of language, but social structure suggests some level of communication.

- cultural advances: Associated with the earliest known stone tools, indicating a significant leap in technological advancement.

Do the species represent a human ancestor and why (connect to the human definition):

Homo habilis is an ancestor of the human evolutionary lineage and is considered as a transitional species. Its larger brain and relationship to stone tools show a change toward higher-level cognitive functions and tool use features that correspond to the evolutionary path of humans.

Explain the place of ur hominin in the family tree, who that fossil evolved from/into:

Since Homo habilis belongs to the Homo genus, it shares a closer ancestry with humans than with australopithecines. It is thought to be a possible offspring of Australopithecus afarensis or a related species. Later Homo species, including Homo erectus, replaced Homo habilis.

- date of existence: Approximately 1.9 to 1.4 million years ago

- geographic location: East Africa, including regions of Kenya and Tanzania

- bipedal adaptations: efficient bipedal locomotion

- cranial capacity: around 700 to 850 cubic centimeters

- associated tools: the Acheulean stone tool industry, including handaxes

other :

- group structure: Likely lived in social groups with some evidence of division of labor.

- language: No direct evidence, but the increased brain size suggests potential for more sophisticated communication.

- cultural advances: Advanced stone tool technology with the Acheulean tradition.

Do the species represent a human ancestor and why (connect to the human definition):

It is believed that Homo ergaster may have been a direct predecessor of both Homo erectus as well as Homo sapiens. Its larger brain and technical developments are similar to those of after hominid species.

Explain the place of ur hominin in the family tree, who that fossil evolved from/into:

An important step in the evolution of Homo is represented by Homo ergaster, a member of the Homo genus. It is thought to be a related species or an ancestor of Homo habilis. Ancestors of Homo ergaster are most likely Homo erectus followed by later Homo species, such as Homo sapiens.

11. Homo Neanderthalensis

5. Australopithecus garhi

6. Paranthropus Boisei

- date of existence: 300,000-30,000 yBP

- geographic location: europe, ME, and asia

- bipedal adaptations: obligate bipeds

- cranial capacity: 1,500-1,700 cc

- associated tools: levallois technique- produce flakes, mousterian stone tool technology

- other; group structure, language, cultural advances: likely had language, dangerous hunting, symbolic burials, omnivorous diet

do the species represent a human ancestor and why (connect to the human definition): Homo neanderthals are considered to represent a branch of the human family tree, rather than representing a human ancestor. While Neanderthals and other homo species share a common ancestor, evidence shows that they diverged as separate lineages. Neanderthals have a robust physique, distinctive facial features, and use sophisticated tool-making.

explain the place of ur hominin in the family tree, who that fossil evolved from/into: Neanderthals are placed in a near branch by the homo species due to genetic evidence that they shared a common lineage with homo sapiens. Neanderthals went extinct, and later Homo sapiens emerged as the surviving species of genus Homo.

9. Homo erectus

- date of existence: approximately 2.5 million years ago

- geographic location: fossils have been discovered in Ethiopia's East African Middle Awash region's Bouri Formation.

- bipedal adaptations: bipedalism, or the ability to walk on two legs.

- cranial capacity: around 450 cubic centimeters, relatively small

- associated tools: stone tools, including early chopping tools and animal bones with cut marks.

other :

- group structure: not well known

- language: direct evidence is not provided

- cultural advances: Butchering methods and tool use

Do the species represent a human ancestor and why (connect to the human definition): Australopithecus garhi is not a direct human ancestor of modern humans. This does not connect to the definition of being human because it does not portray humans while having some characteristics in common with Homo sapiens, such as bipedalism, skilled language, and efficient tool use.

Explain the place of ur hominin in the family tree, who that fossil evolved from/into:

In the Australopithecus genus, Australopithecus garhi could have evolved from older Australopithecus species, such Australopithecus afarensis. It is not a direct ancestor of Homo sapiens, but instead another branch in the hominid family tree.

- date of existence: Around 2.3 to 1.2 million years ago

- geographic location: East Africa, including Kenya and Tanzania

- bipedal adaptations: Bipedal, but with strong cranial and dental features.

- cranial capacity: Relatively small compared to other hominins, averaging around 500 cubic centimeters

- associated tools: Use of simple stone tools

other :

- group structure: Known to live in social groups.

- language: No direct evidence but likely to have had limited ability to speak

- cultural advances: Limited cultural advances, primarily simple tool use

Do the species represent a human ancestor and why (connect to the human definition):

In the hominid family tree, Paranthropus boisei is considered a distant relative and not a direct ancestor of modern humans. Its strong characteristics, which have been developed for breaking down hard plants, point to a different evolutionary path that separated from the one that led to Homo sapiens.

Explain the place of ur hominin in the family tree, who that fossil evolved from/into:

A number of the stronger australopithecines is Paranthropus boisei. It is possible that Australopithecus afarensis or a related species was the ancestor from which it originated. Its extinction shows an evolutionary branch that did not directly evolve into the Homo species.

- date of existence: 1.8mya-200,000

- geographic location: africa, europe, asia

- bipedal adaptations: obligate bipeds

- cranial capacity: 800-1100 cc

- associated tools: acheulean tools- hand axes for scavenging

- other; group structure, language, cultural advances: persistence hunting, control of fire, omnivorous diet

do the species represent a human ancestor and why (connect to the human definition): Homo erectus represents a human ancestor as it was the first human ancestor to expand beyond Africa into various regions of Asia and Europe. The species has an upright posture, larger brain size than earlier hominins, and uses sophisticated tools.

explain the place of ur hominin in the family tree, who that fossil evolved from/into: It is believed that the homo erectus evolved from the australopithecus species, and from Homo habilis.

4. Africanus

-Date of existence: 2.5 mya

-Geographic location: Sterkfontein, South Africa

-Cranial capacity: 485 cc

-Cranial Anatomy: small cranial capacity, absence of cranial crest

-Locomotion: habitual biped

-Anatomy: rounded skull, less projected face, small non honing canines

-Diet: fruit and light vegetation

-Do the species represent a human ancestor and why (connect to the human definition): I believe this species represents human ancestry because they walk on two feet, just like humans do. They also split off from apes, and humans are close in relation with apes as well so I believe they do represent human ancestors.

-Explain the place of your hominin in the family tree, who that fossil evolved from/into: This species, which was discovered in South Africa, is believed to be a key species in the hominin family tree because it represents a bridge between earlier and later species. It is believed to evolve from the Australopithecus afarensis and it is considered an important branch by paving the way for the emergence of early homo species.

3. Sediba

12.Homo sapiens

Sources

1. Ardipithecus Ramidus (Ardi)

(Proctor 2023)

Shook, B. (2019, December 9). Early Members of the Genus Homo. Pressbooks. https://pressbooks-dev.oer.hawaii.edu/explorationsbioanth/chapter/__unknown__-15/

-Date of existence: 1.97 mya (middle pleistocene)

-Geographic location: Malapa Cave (mosaic environment with grassland and trees)

-Cranial capacity: 420 cc

-Cranial Anatomy: average cranial capacity

-Locomotion: habitual biped

-Anatomy: small teeth, small body and long arms, human-like hand and pelvic, mosaic foot

-Diet: open diet containing mostly vegetation and fruits

-Tool Use: none

-Do the species represent a human ancestor and why (connect to the human definition): I believe this species represents a human ancestor because the Garhi and Sediba are seen as ancestors of the Homo, which humans are, making us all related to each other in one way or another. They also had human-like hands and a human-like pelvis, as well as being able to walk on two legs, which leads me to think they can represent human ancestors because we share common characteristics with them.

-Explain the place of your hominin in the family tree, who that fossil evolved from/into: This species holds a significant place in the hominin family tree as it is considered to be a transitional species between the earlier Australopithecus africanus and the genus homo. Fossil records would suggest that it evolved from the Australopithecus africanus and may be a potential ancestor of the members of the homo genus.

-Date of existence: 4.4 mya

-Geographic location: Afar Region of Ethiopia (mostly mosaic environment)

-Cranial capacity: 380 cc’s

-Cranial Anatomy:small cranial capacity

-Locomotion:habitual biped

-Anatomy: had a nonhoning chewing complex, elongated pelvis (mix of apes and modern humans)

-Diet: fruits and nuts

-Do the species represent a human ancestor and why (connect to the human definition): I believe the species does represent a human ancestor, because although they may not be extremely modern or advanced, we have descended from them in one way or another. This early species is one of the many important early hominids that had a combination of ape-like and human-like characteristics, like their bipedalism, which allows us to have a better understanding of our own human ancestry and helps us understand why we can walk and how our behaviors came to be.

-Explain the place of your hominin in the family tree, who that fossil evolved from/into: This species is essential in the hominin family tree as it holds a significant place for being one of the earliest known hominids. It is considered to be a predecessor to later australopithecus species and it shed light on the early stages of hominid adaptations to upright walking.

- date of existence: 300,000 yBP

- geographic location: originated Africa, ME, europe (evolved from Heidelbergensis), asia, australia, americas

- bipedal adaptations: bipedalism

- cranial capacity: 1200-1700 cc

- associated tools: upper paleolithic tools- aurignacian tool technology

- other; group structure, language, cultural advances: ritualistic burial practices- symbolic objects- carved figurines, cave paintings; diverse diet

do the species represent a human ancestor and why (connect to the human definition): Homo sapiens are not considered a human ancestor necessarily, as we are the only surviving human species.

explain the place of ur hominin in the family tree, who that fossil evolved from/into: Homo sapiens evolved from homo Heidelbergensis, and homo erectus. We emerged in Africa before replacing hominin population groups such as Homo heidelbergensis and Neanderthals.

Shook, B. (2019, December 9). Early Hominins. Pressbooks. https://pressbooks-dev.oer.hawaii.edu/explorationsbioanth/chapter/chapter-9-early-hominins-2/

Dubios, E. (2022, June 30). Homo erectus. The Smithsonian Institution’s Human Origins Program. https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/homo-erectus

2. Australopithecus Afarensis (Lucy)

-Date of existence: 3.0-3.6 mya

-Geographic location: Hadar, Ethiopia, and Eastern Africa (open grassland areas with patches of woodland)

-Cranial capacity: 430 cc

-Cranial Anatomy: very small cranium

-Locomotion: habitual biped

-Postcranial Anatomy: had nonhoning chewing complex, long arms and curved finger bones, 3 ½ feet tall, large molars

-Diet: fruits, nuts, vegetation

-Do the species represent a human ancestor and why (connect to the human definition): I believe this species represents a human ancestor because this species had many ape-like proportions and apes are very similar and close in ancestry to humans. They were also able to walk on two legs which is a very human-like characteristic, which I believe categorizes this species as a human ancestor.

-Explain the place of your hominin in the family tree, who that fossil evolved from/into: This species holds a central position in the hominin family tree as it transitioned between more primitive ancestors and early members of the homo genus. This species is considered to be an ancestor of the later australopithecus species and a foundational role in the emergence of homo species.

Hominin Family Tree

Rosie Ayrapetyan

Arnnette Perez

Briana Reyes

Definition of being human: being human represents being a part of the Homo sapiens species, which stands out by characteristics such as bipedalism, the great ability to think, fluent language, tool usage, and social behavior. To be human means to have descended from countless ancestors like the sahelanthropus tchadensis, all the way to the present homo sapien. Being human means to adapt to one's environment, hot, cold, high in altitude, etc., and being so intelligent that you are able to develop a language, learn how to use tools, and have one's own culture and traditions.

Hominin Family Tree