Early Homo Flashcards
(30 cards)
Why is there a change in brain size from the Aussies to the Homos?
Homo is the first species credited with the making of regular, standardized stone tools.
What are the trends in human evolution in regards to brain size?
Brain size jumps 200cc, but not related to jump in body size.
What skills does tool making require? (3)
Hand-eye coordination
Motor skills
The ability to problem solve
What is the impact of bigger brains on the heads of babies?
Bigger brains=bigger heads.
How are babies changed with the trends of human resolution? (2)
Babies born at earlier stage of development, making them smaller.
Babies born with soft, pliable skulls.
What are three results of babies being born at an earlier stage of development?
Babies more prone to predators
Babies require more care and attention
Longer dependency period on parents
What female pelvic changes result from the babies’ increasing brain size? (2)
Pelvis is stretched and widened
Changes give females “hips”
Why do we see a reduction in the face/teeth/jaws from the Aussies to Homos?
Less demand for robust chewing structures as eating habits change to a softer diet. (more meat, less nut/seeds, etc.)
What nickname was given to Homo Habilis, and why?
“Handy Man,” due to the fact that he is the first to make stone tools.
The earliest member of the Homo genus, Homo Habilis, was found where/when?
2.3 million years ago exclusively in Africa.
What was the general brain size of Homo Habilis?
600 cc
While the Homo Habilis’s body was much like the Aussies, where was there an obvious difference?
Smaller cheeks/teeth than the Aussies.
What Homo species was the first to be found outside of Africa?
Homo Erectus
Who found the first Homo Erectus fossils, and when/where were they found?
Eugene Dubois found the “Upright Ape Man” in Java, Indonesia, dated to 1.8 MYA.
Where/what did Davidson Black discover?
The “Peking Man” in the Chinese Zhoukoudian Cave.
What sagital feature did the Erectus have on the top of the skull?
Sagital Keel- a speed bump
Did the Erectus have a chin?
False
The Erectus was the 1st species to have a projecting nose.
True
Name two key facts about the skull of the Homo Erectus.
Pentagon shaped skull featuring an occipital torus (NOT A BUN)
The Erectus’s skull features thick bone and a large brow ridge.
True
What is Homo Erectus’s brain size?
800-1000 cc
What “famous firsts” was Erectus attributed with?
First species found outside Africa
Fire, clothing, hunting.
First projecting nose
First species to be close to the height of modern-day humans.
How did the Erectus hunt, and why were their hunting skills so important?
Thrusting spears into animals’ vial areas, this was important because in cold locations that lacked vegetation, hunting provided a food source.
What kind of tools did Homo Habilis make/use?
The Habilis used the Olduwan, a chopper tool.
