A Timeline of Human Evolution
Discovery of the longest lived species of humans
Australopithecus afarensis
She was commonly named Lucy. Her remains are estimated to be 3.2 MYA (Million Years Ago) discovered in the Afar region of North East Ethiopia.
The examination of the remains determined that she was female.
A mostly intact jawbone had three Wisdom Teeth, large and fully formed molars.
Lucy was an adult female, just under 3 feet tall. Her estimated age was around 13 years old.
After examining the pelvis, partial thigh bones, and foot structure, Lucy was determined to be fully bipedal.
From the waist up, Lucy was apelike. From the waist down, she was fully bipedal.
The examination of Lucy’s skull revealed she had a maximum brain capacity of 1/3 of Modern Humans. Her facial and skull features indicate that she was NOT human.
Homo rudolfensis
Between 1.9 & 1.8 MYA, Skull remains discovered in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Malawi. Very few, if any, bones associated with skull and cranial remains have been discovered.
What is deduced from jaw/tooth analysis is a much reduced canine size, compared to Chimpanzees and Australopithecus.
Large molars of the species indicate an exclusive herbivore diet.
The species of rudolfensis had longer faces than Lucy. Rudolfensis had a narrower upper face than the middle and more ‘shovel’ shaped post-canines.
Homo habilis
Between 2.4 and 1.4 MYA, Homo habilis was discovered at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.
The discovery team led by Louis Leakey in 1964 broke with tradition by naming the new ancestor based on behavior — habilis. Tool Making
Homo habilis struck stones together to produce flakes of stone with sharp edges. They used the sharp edges to butcher and skin animals.
By examining tooth and jaw structure, Homo habilis was much more an omnivore than the earlier species.
Homo neanderthalensis
H. Neanderhalensis is estimated to have existed between 500 KYA (Thousand Years Ago) and 40 KYA. The Neanderthals are the closest extinct relative to modern humans (H. sapiens).
Neanderthal faces featured a large middle face, angled cheekbones, and a huge nose for humidifying and warming cold, dry air associated with high altitudes.
Their overall bodies were shorter and considerably stockier than H. sapiens.
Skull examination reveal Neanderthal brains were often larger than H. Sapiens, proportional to their brawnier bodies.
Neanderthals made sophisticated tools, controlled fire, made and lived in shelters, and they made clothing.
The Neanderthal were skilled hunters of large animals and also ate plant foods. They made symbolic and ornamental objects.
There is evidence that Neanderthals deliberately buried their dead and occasionally even marked their graves with flower offerings.
The H. Neanderthals migration from Africa occurred in two distinct migrations.
The earlier migration went north and east toward central-northern Siberia and eventually to the Tibetan Plateau in north-central China.
The later Neanderthal migration went north into central Europe, heading north and eastward into Spain and as far south as Gibralter.
Homo erectus
H. erectus lived 1.89 MYA to 110 KYA.
This broad expanse of time means that H. erectus existed 9 times longer than H. sapiens, modern humans!
Remains of H. erectus have been discovered throughout Africa, Asia, East Asia, and Indonesia. There have been no known remains in Europe.
H. erectus had longer legs and shorter arms, more similar to H. sapiens than earlier homonids. These features are adaptations to a living on the ground.
H. erectus structure derived from skeletal remains indicate a size range from 4'-9" to 6'-1" and weight from 88 to 150 lbs. These ranges are well within the range of most modern humans.
Examination of H. erectus skulls indicat that their brain size maximum capacity was 40% less than modern humans.
These more modern hominids had the ability to walk and even run long distances.
H. erectus possessed the first-Hand Axes and several smaller flaked sharp hand tools enabling them to butcher animals. The smaller hand tools allowed them to cut strips of meat for consumption.
These hominids controlled fires. Remains of their tools were found around hearths. Also found around their fireplaces were some remains of their family groups. It is believed that H. erectus cared for elderly and ill or injured members of their group. There is no evidence of burials.
What eventually caused the extinction of H. erectus is not known for a fact. It is likely a combination of factors. They may have had an inability to adapt to newer environments, eventual climatic change, and possibly driven out by the arrival of Homo sapiens, modern humans.
Homo sapiens
H. sapiens, modern humans, have spread around the earth. They are the only hominids that remain on their home planet.
