Hominid Family Tree

Hominid Family Tree

Homo habilis

Key Individual

Turkana Boy:

Common Name: Handy Man

When: 2.4 million to 1.4 million years ago

Where: Eastern and Southern Africa

Discovered in 1984 near Lake Turkana, Kenya by Kamoya Kimeu and Richard Leakey. Turkana boy is a Homo Erectus skeleton. What is miraculous about him is that his skeleton is almost complete. He helped scientists detirmine the growth rate for the Homo group.

One of the oldest members of the genus Homo. Originally thought to be the oldest tool maker out of our other anscetors. They were able to eat a wide variety of foods due to the fact they had strong jaws and teeth. They ate protein such as meat and bone marrow.

Homo

Paranthropus aethiopicus

Where: Soutern Ethiopia

When: About 2.7 to 2.3 million years ago

The Paranthropus aethiopicus is still a mystery to scientists but they know they lived off a vegetarian diet. They had strong front teeth for chewing. The discovery of the "Black Skull" in 1985 helped define this species.

Homo erectus

Homo sapiens

Paranthropus

When: about 1.89 million and 143,000 years ago

Where: Dmanisi, Republic of Georgia, China and Indonesia

Homo sapien is the species name for our lovely population. We evolved in Africa and quickly migrated to all parts of the world. We have a strange ability to adapt to our enviroment and surroundings. There are many factors leading to our survival as a species.

Common Name: Human

When:

200,000 years ago to now

Where:

Everywhere!

Oldest ancestor with human-like proportions. Their newly proportioned bodies required a large amount of energy which in turn lead them to eat protein.They were the first to begin making fires and hearth.

The Homo group is the group most similar to humans, they walked upright and had larger brains than previous ancestors. Lived from about 3.5 million years ago to today.

The group before the Homo group which had powerful jaws and large teeth. They fed on a large variety of foods. Lived from about 3.5 to 1 million years ago.

Homo neanderthalensis

Homo heidelbergensis

Common Name: Neanderthal

When: About 200,000 - 28,000 years ago

Where: Europe to southwestern to central Asia

When: About 700,000 to 200,000 years ago

Where: Europe, Africa and even possibly Asia

The Homo heidelbergensis had a larger brains than previous hominids. They were the first hominids to live in colder enviroments. Their short bodies were adapted to maintaing body heat.

The Neanderthal is our closest extinct relative and ancestor. They used a wide array of tools for activities such as hunting and sewing. They were adapt to live in colder enviroments like Europe and Asia. In the end, they did not have the adaptations to survive the everchanging world.

Homo floresiensis

Paranthropus robustus

Paranthropus boisei

Common Name: The Hobbit

When: About 95,000 – 17,000 years ago

Where: Indonesia

When: About 1.8 to 1.2 million years ago

Where: South Africa

When: About 2.3 to 1.2 million years ago

Where: Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi

Australopithecus anamensis

They stood about 3ft 6in and they had tiny brains compared to other members of the Homo genus. Stone tools were found in the general area where the Homo florensis was found. Evidence shows that the exclusivly ate Stegodons (an extinct kind of elephant).

Like his other Paranthropus bretheren, the robustus had strong teeth to eat seeds, roots and nuts. Evidence shows that they used pieces of bones as tools to fish termites out of their hills. Termites are high in protein which may have lead to their increase of brain size.

The Paranthropus had a large strong jaw suggesting a tough diet such as roots and nuts. They lived in grasslands mostly but also lived in wet climates ner lakes and rivers. They had 4 times bigger teeth than modern humans.

When: About 4.2 to 3.9 million years ago

Where: Ethiopia

The Australopithecus anamensis had a strong jaw which means they might have eaten hard abrasive food. They were mainly on a plant based diet though. Their long arms showed that they were adapt for climbing although they were bipedal

Key Individual

Selam:

Australopitecus

Australopithecus afarensis

Discovered in 2000 in Ethiopia by Zeresenay Alemseged. Selam is an Australopithecus afarensis fossil. Due to his young age (3 years) he helped scientists learn about the childhood of past ancestors.

Common Name: Lucy's species

When: about 3.85 to 2.95 million years ago

Where: Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania

The Austalopithecus afarensis is most famous for the fossil of Lucy. They were like chimpanzees and their chidren grew up rapidly. They were mostly bipedal but they could still climb trees. Their diet consisted of mostly leaves, fruit, seeds, roots, nuts, and insects.They even ate the occasional vertabre or lizard.

Ardipithecus kadabba

Fist hominid to walk upright on a regular basis yet still climb trees. The family containing the famous Lucy. Lived from 4.5 to 2 million years ago.

Key Individual

When: About 5.8 and 5.2 million years ago

Where: Eastern Africa (Ethiopia)

Lucy:

Discovered November 24, 1974 by Donald Johanson, Maurice Taieb and Yves Coppens. Lucy is a female Australopithecus afarensis that is almost complete. She helped scientists understand the bipedal nature of the Australopithecu group.

The Ardipithecus kadabba had a body and a brain the size of a modern chimp. They had teeth that resembled later hominids. Bone stuchture suggests that they were bipedal. Their teeth show that they possibly had a fiberous diet.

Australopithecus africanus

Orrorin tugenensis

When: About 3.3 to 2.1 million years ago

Where: South Africa

Australopithecus garhi

Sahelanthropus tchadensis

Common Name: Millennium Man

When: About 6.2 to 5.8 million years ago

Where: Eastern Africa (Kenya)

Ardipithecus

When: 2.5 million years ago

Where: Bouri, Middle Awash, Ethiopia

The Australopithecus had a mixture of both human andchimp like features. Their feet bones show they walked on two legs but their hand bones show the they could still climb. Bone, horn and teeth tools have been found with them.

Where: Western Africa (Chad)

When: About 7 to 6 million years ago

Chimp sized with small teeth. Walked upright but still climbed trees. From their rounded molars, scientists believe that they had a plant diet consisting of leaves, fruit, seeds, roots, nuts, and insects. They were first discovered in 2001.

There haven't been many finds on the Australopithecus garhi due to the lack of evidence and remains found. Some of the oldest stone tools are associated with this species of hominids.

Oldest human ancestor. Although they very ape like appearences they had human aspects like small canine teeth and a spinal chord opening underneath the skull. It's not certain, but they seem to have a plant-based diet. The Sahelanthropus tchadensis was the first of our ancestors to walk upright on two legs.

They are earliest ancestors. They are our closest link to apes and they took the fist steps to bipedalism. Lived from about 4 to 6 million years ago.

Ardipithecus ramidus

Common Name: Ardi

When: About 4.4 million years ago

Where: Eastern Africa (Ethiopia)

The first set of remains was reported in 1994. Evidence shows that they lived in a heavily wooded area. Due to the fact the found from the Ardipithecus ramidus are neither thick nor thin, scientists believe they were one of the first omnivores.