Skeleton Hands and feet
Genus Species Lived mya Example Height/ Weight Braincase (bipedal?) (arboreal?) Face Teeth Diet/ tools Evolution
Divergent big
more forward toes, long ape like but
Foramen arms, long brow ridges, smaller molars
North-East Ardi (4.4mya) - Magnum ; fingers; lower face and reduced
Ardipithecus ramidus Ethiopia 5.8 to 4.4 ACFem 1.2m/50kg 350cc upright trees/grasp projects canines
Human-like
pelvis/leg/foot;
bipedal BUT
long arms,
more foreward strong curved
Foramen hands, short
Rift Valley Magnum: legs,short feet canines
Australopithec (Eth. Kenya, upright- long toes; still reduced, u- Omnivores,
ines Tanzania) 4 to 1 1-1.5m 435-530cc BIPEDAL climb shaped palate scavengers
Lucy (3.2mya
Rift Valley)
ACFem AND 1m-1.5m , ape-like: low (h+a
Rift Valley Laetoli sexual forehead, brow diastema, characteristics;
(Ethiopia, footprints-trace dimorphism Light build, long ridge, flat nose, canines stick common
Kenya, fossil bipedal Fem-29kg arms, curved sloping face, no out beyond ancestor for
afarensis Tanzania) big toe in line Male-45kg 435cc digits chin other teeth homo genus)
still ape-like :
longer arms
than legs,
flattened nose,
forward
projecting jaw
BUT less ape
like, larger
brain, fully
upright
Taung Child bipelasism,
(2.5mya, 3yrold teeth/jaws much human-like
child skull), Mrs larger than teeth, rounded
Ples (2mya- humans, ominvores, dental arch, ate
Gauteng high most complete Face shorter, reduced scavengers, quite a lot of
veld, Only ever skull- fem), slight build, long less prominent canines, u- fruits, leaves, meat (isotope
found in South Little Foot (2.2- fully upright arms shorter BR, higher shaped palate, lived in small studies), stone
africanus Africa 2 to 3 3.3mya) 1.1m-1.4m 450cc bipelasism legs forehead no diastema social groups tools
2 partial skulls,
Lee Berger
(Malapa- Cradle
of Humankind),
partial skeleton relatively small
12-11yrold boy long arms, short premolars and Most similar to
pelvis most strong hands molars and homo- possible
undistorted ever small brain wider pelvis, suitable for reduced ancestor
sediba 2 to 1.7 found + hand 1.2m capacity long legs climbing canines candidate
long face, broad huge molars
flat, small and lower jaw not regarded as
robustus forehead, heavy indicate ancestral to
(Paranthropus) 2 to1.2 1.1-1.3m 530cc heavy build brow ridges vegetarian humans
Genus Species Lived mya Example Height/ Weight Braincase (bipedal?) (arboreal?) Face Teeth Diet/ tools Evolution
Divergent big
more forward toes, long ape like but
Foramen arms, long brow ridges, smaller molars
North-East Ardi (4.4mya) - Magnum ; fingers; lower face and reduced
Ardipithecus ramidus Ethiopia 5.8 to 4.4 ACFem 1.2m/50kg 350cc upright trees/grasp projects canines
Human-like
pelvis/leg/foot;
bipedal BUT
long arms,
more foreward strong curved
Foramen hands, short
Rift Valley Magnum: legs,short feet canines
Australopithec (Eth. Kenya, upright- long toes; still reduced, u- Omnivores,
ines Tanzania) 4 to 1 1-1.5m 435-530cc BIPEDAL climb shaped palate scavengers
Lucy (3.2mya
Rift Valley)
ACFem AND 1m-1.5m , ape-like: low (h+a
Rift Valley Laetoli sexual forehead, brow diastema, characteristics;
(Ethiopia, footprints-trace dimorphism Light build, long ridge, flat nose, canines stick common
Kenya, fossil bipedal Fem-29kg arms, curved sloping face, no out beyond ancestor for
afarensis Tanzania) big toe in line Male-45kg 435cc digits chin other teeth homo genus)
still ape-like :
longer arms
than legs,
flattened nose,
forward
projecting jaw
BUT less ape
like, larger
brain, fully
upright
Taung Child bipelasism,
(2.5mya, 3yrold teeth/jaws much human-like
child skull), Mrs larger than teeth, rounded
Ples (2mya- humans, ominvores, dental arch, ate
Gauteng high most complete Face shorter, reduced scavengers, quite a lot of
veld, Only ever skull- fem), slight build, long less prominent canines, u- fruits, leaves, meat (isotope
found in South Little Foot (2.2- fully upright arms shorter BR, higher shaped palate, lived in small studies), stone
africanus Africa 2 to 3 3.3mya) 1.1m-1.4m 450cc bipelasism legs forehead no diastema social groups tools
2 partial skulls,
Lee Berger
(Malapa- Cradle
of Humankind),
partial skeleton relatively small
12-11yrold boy long arms, short premolars and Most similar to
pelvis most strong hands molars and homo- possible
undistorted ever small brain wider pelvis, suitable for reduced ancestor
sediba 2 to 1.7 found + hand 1.2m capacity long legs climbing canines candidate
long face, broad huge molars
flat, small and lower jaw not regarded as
robustus forehead, heavy indicate ancestral to
(Paranthropus) 2 to1.2 1.1-1.3m 530cc heavy build brow ridges vegetarian humans
