Human Origins: Final Exam: Early Hominids

Front 1

Location: Central Africa
Major Site: Chad
Date Range: 6-7 mya
Associated paleoanthropologist: Michel Brunet
Additional points: may be bipedal due to placement of the foramen magnum

Back 1

Sahelanthropus tchadensis

Front 2

Location: East Africa, Rift Valley
Major Site: Tugen Hills, Kenya
Date Range: ~6 mya
Associated paleoanthropologist: Andrew Hill and Brigitte Senut
Additional points: earliest known hominid, CT scans of the proximal femur have shown that bipedalism

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Orrorin tugenensis

Front 3

Location: East Africa
Major Site: Aramis
Date Range: 5.5-4.4 mya
Gracile
Associated paleoanthropologist: Tim White
Additional points: NOT an australopithecilne, possible human ancestor, very primitive cranium, ape-like, thin enamel, large canines (sectorial complex and diastema)

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Aridipithecus ramidus

Front 4

Location: East Africa
Major Site: Kanapoi, Allia Bay
Date Range: 4.2-3.9 mya
Gracile
Associated paleoanthropologist: Meave Leakey
Average cranial capacity: small, apelike, ~400cc
Additional points: earliest australopithecine, thick enamel, large canines (sectorial complex and diastema)

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Australopithecus anamensis

Front 5

Location: East Africa
Major site: Radar, Laetoli
Date range: 3.9-3.0 mya (K/Ar dates)
Gracile
Associated paleoanthropologist: Tim White and Don Johanson
Average Cranial capacity: 420cc
Additional points: Lucy=40% of a skeleton from Hadar, Laetoli footprints uncovered by Mary Leakey(3.6 mya), more primitive than later australopithecines, very sexually dimorphic, long upper limbs suggest climbing ability, thick enamel, large teeth, parallel tooth rows

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Australopithecus afarensis

Front 6

Location: East Africa
Major site: West Turkana, Kenya
Date Range: 3.2-3.5 mya
Associated paleoanthropologist: Meave Leakey
Additional points: "flat-faced Kenya human", characterized by large flat face, but small cheek teeth, only early hominid with these features

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Kenyanthropus platyops

Front 7

Location: East Africa
Major site: Middle Awash (Bouri)
Date range: 2.5 mya
Gracile
Associated paleoanthropologist: Tim White
Average cranial capcity: 450cc
Additional points: possible first tool users (Oldowan industry), long forelimbs and hindlimbs, large teeth and projecting face

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Australopithecus garhi

Front 8

Location: East Africa
Major site: West Lake Turkana
Date Range: 2.5 mya
Robust
Associated paleoanthropologist: Alan Walker
Average cranial capacity: 410cc
Additional points: Black Skull (WT 17,000), probably ancestral to Australopithecus bosei

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Australopithecus/Paranthropus aethiopicus

Front 9

Location: South Africa
Major site: Taung, Sterkfontein, Kromdraai, Makapansgat
Date Range: 3.6-2.5mya
Gracile
Associated Paleoanthropologist: Raymond Dart
Average cranial capacity: 440cc
Additional points: first australopithecine found was Taung; substantial zygomatic bones, lower face projecting, high mandibular ramus, evidence of 6 lumbar vertebrae (STS 14)

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Australopithecus africanus

Front 10

Location: South Africa
Major Site: Swartkrans, Kromdraai
Date range: 2-1.5 mya
Robust
Associated paleoanthropologist: Robert Broom
Average cranial capacity: 530cc

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Australopithecus/Paranthropus robustus

Front 11

Location: East Africa
Major site: Olduvai Gorge, Koobi Fora
Date range: 2-1 mya
Robust
Associated paleoanthropologist: Mary and Louis Leakey
Average cranial capacity: 631cc
Additional points: significant increase in cranial capcity, not restricted to either south or east africa, reduction in size of molars/premolars, increase in size of incisors, tool use, extreme sexual dimorphism

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Homo(Australopithecus?) habilis

Front 12

What are the anatomical features of robust australopithecines?

Back 12

sagittal crest
large zygomatics
postorbital constriction
postcanine megadontia
small incisors and canines
very large mandible
reorientation of temporalis muscle
small brain

Front 13

Taung child

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Australopithecus africanus
3-6 year old child
first australopithecine found

Front 14

Lucy

Back 14

Australopithecus afarensis
40% complete skeleton

Front 15

Hadar Zinj

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Austraopithecus boisei
Olduvai Gorge
found by Mary Leakey

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Black Skull

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Australopithecus aethiopicus
West Lake Turkana

Front 17

STS 5

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Australopithecus africanus

Front 18

SK48

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Australopithecus robustus

Front 19

ER 1813 and ER 1470

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Homo habilis
East Lake Turkana

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Location: Africa, Europe
Major Sites: Nariokotome (West Lake Turkana), East Turkana (East Rudolph), Olduvai Gorge, Swartkrans, Ternifine, Dmanisi
Date Range: 1.9-1.4 mya
Average cranial capacity: 900-1100cc

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Homo ergaster

Front 21

Which species is considered by many to be the same species as H. erectus, with the minor differences between them explained as regional variation?

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Homo ergaster

Front 22

Which species in Africa is associated with the Oldowan tool industry?

Back 22

Homo ergaster

Front 23

Who was the first hominid to move out of Africa and into more temperate regions?

Back 23

Homo ergaster

Front 24

WT 15000 (the Nariokotome Boy) is the most complete skelton we have, prior to Neandertals. Of what species is WT 15000?

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Homo ergaster

Front 25

Location: East Asia
Major sites: Zhoukoudian, Longgupo, Trinil, Sangiran, Ngandong, Hexian
Date range: 1.8 mya
Average cranial capcity: 750-1100cc

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Homo erectus

Front 26

Which fossil ancestor was found in 1891 by Eugene Dubois in Java at the site of Trinil and consisted of a skullcap and a femur?

Back 26

Homo erectus

Front 27

What species is also known as Pithecanthropus erectus, Java Man, Peking Man, Pithecanthropus soloensis, Sinanthropus?

Back 27

Homo erectus

Front 28

Which species' tool industry is known as the Acheulean which is best known for its hand axes (or bifaces) and cleavers?

Back 28

Homo erectus

Front 29

Which species shows possible evidence for hunting and increased meat consumption?

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Homo erectus