Homo habilis

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Temporal range: 2.31.4Ma Pre O S D C P T J K Pg N Pliocene-Pleistocene

Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Hominidae Genus: Homo Species: H. habilis Binomial name Homo habilis
Leakey et al., 1964

Homo habilis (pron.: /homo hbls/, "handy-man") is a species of the genus Homo, which lived from approximately 1.4 to 2.33 million years ago, during the Gelasian Pleistocene period.[1] The discovery and description of this species is credited to both Mary and Louis Leakey, who found fossils in Tanzania, East Africa, between 1962 and 1964.[2] Homo habilis (or possibly H. rudolfensis) was the earliest known species of the genus Homo until May 2010, when H. gautengensis was proposed by Darren Curnoe, a species theorized to be even older than H. habilis.[3] In its appearance and morphology, H. habilis is the least similar to modern humans of all species in the genus (except possibly H. rudolfensis). H. habilis was short and had disproportionately long arms compared to modern humans; however, it had a less protruding face than the australopithecines from which it is thought to have descended. H. habilis had a cranial capacity slightly less than half of the size of modern humans. Despite the ape-like morphology of the bodies, H. habilis remains are often accompanied by primitive stone tools (e.g. Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania and Lake Turkana, Kenya). Homo habilis has often been thought to be the ancestor of the more gracile and sophisticated Homo ergaster , which in turn gave rise to the more human-appearing species, Homo erectus. Debates continue over whether H. habilis is a direct human ancestor, and whether all of the known fossils are properly attributed to the species. Some paleoanthropologists regard the taxon as invalid, made up of fossil specimens of Australopithecus and Homo.[4] In 2007, new findings suggested that H. habilis and H. erectus coexisted and may be separate lineages from a common

ancestor instead of H. erectus being descended from H. habilis.[5]

Contents
1 Findings 1.1 KNM ER 1813 1.2 OH 7 1.3 OH 24 1.4 KNM ER 1805 2 Interpretations 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 External links

Findings
One set of fossil remains (OH 62), discovered by Donald Johanson and Tim White in Olduvai Gorge in 1986, included the important upper and lower limbs.[6] Their finding stimulated some debate at the time.[7] An older (1963) finding from the Olduvai site found by N. Mbuika had included a lower jaw fragment, teeth and upper mandible possibly from a female dating 1.7 million years old. The remains from three skeletons stacked on top of each other[8] demonstrated australopithecine-like body with a more human-like face and smaller teeth. Compared to australopithecines, H. habilis' brain capacity of around 600 cm was on average 50% larger than australopithecines, but considerably smaller than the 1350 to 1450 cm range of modern Homo sapiens. These hominins were smaller than modern humans, on average standing no more than 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) tall. The small size and rather primitive attributes have led some experts (Richard Leakey among them) to propose excluding H. habilis from the genus Homo, and renaming as "Australopithecus habilis".[9]

KNM ER 1813.

KNM ER 1813
KNM ER 1813 is a relatively complete cranium which dates to 1.9 million years old, discovered at Koobi Fora, Kenya by Kamoya Kimeu in 1973. The brain capacity is 510 cm, not as impressive as

Koobi Fora, Kenya by Kamoya Kimeu in 1973. The brain capacity is 510 cm, not as impressive as other early specimen and forms of H. habilis discovered.

OH 7
OH 7 dates to 1.75 million years old, and was discovered by Mary and Louis Leakey on November 4, 1960 at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. It is a lower jaw complete with teeth; due to the size of the small teeth, researchers estimate this juvenile individual had a brain volume of 363 cm. Also found were more than 20 fragments of the left hand. Tobias and Napier assisted in classifying OH 7 as the type fossil.

OH 24
OH 24 (Twiggy) is a roughly deformed cranium about 1.8 million years old discovered in October 1968 at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. The brain volume is just under 600 cm; also a reduction in a protruding face is present compared to members of more primitive australopithecines.

KNM ER 1805
KNM ER 180gf is a specimen of an adult H. habilis made of three pieces of cranium dating to 1.74 million years old from Koobi Fora, Kenya. Previous assumptions were that this specimen belongs to H. erectus based on the degree of prognathism and overall cranial shape.

Interpretations

Reconstruction of Homo habilis at the Westflisches Museum fr Archologie, Herne

Homo habilis - forensic facial reconstruction/approximation Homo habilis is thought to have mastered the Lower Paleolithic Olduwan tool set which used stone flakes. These stone flakes were more advanced than any tools previously used, and gave H. habilis the edge it needed to prosper in hostile environments previously too formidable for primates. Whether H. habilis was the first hominid to master stone tool technology remains controversial, as Australopithecus garhi, dated to 2.6 million years ago, has been found along with stone tool implements at least 100,000 - 200,000 years older than H. habilis. Most experts assume the intelligence and social organization of H. habilis were more sophisticated than typical australopithecines or chimpanzees. Yet despite tool usage, H. habilis was not the master hunter its sister species (or descendants) proved to be, as ample fossil evidence indicates H. habilis was a staple in the diet of large predatory animals, such as Dinofelis, a large scimitartoothed predatory cat the size of a jaguar.[10] H. habilis used tools primarily for scavenging, such as cleaving meat off carrion, rather than defense or hunting. This species is thought to be the ancestor of the lankier and more sophisticated Homo ergaster , which in turn gave rise to the more human-appearing species Homo erectus. Debates continue over whether H. habilis is a direct human ancestor, and whether all of the known fossils are properly attributed to the species. Homo habilis coexisted with other Homo-like bipedal primates, such as Paranthropus boisei, some of which prospered for many millennia. However, H. habilis, possibly because of its early tool innovation and a less specialized diet, became the precursor of an entire line of new species, whereas Paranthropus boisei and its robust relatives disappeared from the fossil record. H. habilis may also have coexisted with H. erectus in Africa for a period of 500,000 years. [11]

See also
List of fossil sites (with link directory) List of human evolution fossils (with images)

Notes
1. ^ New York Times article Fossils in Kenya Challenge Linear Evolution published August 9, 2007 says "Scientists who dated and analyzed the specimens a 1.44 million-year-old Homo habilis and a 1.55 million-year-old Homo erectus said their findings challenged the conventional view that these species evolved one after the other. Instead, they apparently lived side by side in eastern Africa for almost half a million years."

2. ^ Richard Leakey describes the discovery and naming of the first H. habilis in The Making of Mankind, pp 65-66 of the Dutton 1981 hardcover edition. It was found by Jonathan Leakey at Olduvai, and was called at first "Jonny's child." Leakey says that Louis named the species for its "ability to make tools " and that habilis means "skillful". By another account (see the notes for Louis Leakey) Louis solicited a name from Raymond Dart, which Phillip Tobias translated as "handy-man." Later it became OH 7 described under "Famous specimens" below. 3. ^ Jennifer Viegas (May 21, 2010). "Toothy Tree-Swinger May Be Earliest Human". Discovery News. Retrieved July 27, 2012. 4. ^ Tattersall, I. & Schwartz, J.H., Extinct Humans, Westview Press, New York, 2001, p. 111. 5. ^ F. Spoor, M. G. Leakey, P. N. Gathogo, F. H. Brown, S. C. Antn, I. McDougall, C. Kiarie, F. K. Manthi & L. N. Leakey (2007-08-09). "Implications of new early Homo fossils from Ileret, east of Lake Turkana, Kenya". Nature 448 (7154): 688691. doi:10.1038/nature05986. PMID 17687323. 6. ^ Donald C. Johanson, Fidelis T. Masao, Gerald G. Eck, Tim D. White, Robert C. Walter, William H. Kimbel, Berhane Asfaw, Paul Manega, Prosper Ndessokia & Gen Suwa (21 May 1987). "New partial skeleton of Homo habilis from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania". Nature 327 (6119): 205209. doi:10.1038/327205a0. PMID 3106831 7. ^ Wood, Bernard (21 May 1987). "Who is the 'real' Homo habilis?". Nature 327 (6119): 187 188. doi:10.1038/327187a0. PMID 3106828 8. ^ BBC - Dawn of Man (2000) by Robin Mckie| ISBN 0-7894-6262-1 9. ^ Miller, J.M.A. (2000), "Craniofacial variation in Homo habilis: an analysis of the evidence for multiple species", American Journal of Physical Anthropology 112(1): p. 103128. 10. ^ Hillary Mayell. "Killer Cats Hunted Human Ancestors". National Geographic News. Retrieved 2008-02-15. 11. ^ James Urquhart (August 8, 2007). Finds test human origins theory "Finds test human origins theory". BBC News. Retrieved July 27, 2007.