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Time Range
4.22.5 million years before present
Geography
East Africa
Locomotion
Bipedalism and arboreal climbing
Cranial Capacity
Mean: 470 cc
Range: 375540 cc
Height
Female: 3.33.4 ft
Male: 5 ft
Weight
Female: 66 lbs
Male: 99154 lbs
Other Facts
This species was sexually dimorphic
Named for the Afar region of Africa
Most likely slept in trees
Most of the data for this species is from
Donald Johansson’s 1970’s fieldwork
Cranial features more apelike
Australopithecus africanus
Time Range
3.32.5 million years before present
Geography
South Africa
Locomotion
Bipedalism and arboreal climbing
Cranial Capacity
Mean: 454 cc
Range: 405515 cc
Height
Female: 3.8 ft average
Male: 4.5 ft average
Weight
Female: 5566 lbs
Male: 90132 lbs
Other Facts
This species was sexually dimorphic, and
developed fast like chimpanzees
Name means southern ape of Africa
Identified in 1924 by Ramond Dart
Australopithecus
aethiopicus
Time Range
2.5 million years before present
Locomotion
Bipedalism (assumed)
Cranial Capacity
410 cc
Height
Unknown
Weight
unknown
Other Facts
This species was very sexually dimorphic,
and had a pronounced sagittal crest
Paranthropus aethiopicus is another
classification for the species
Paranthropus means “parallel to man”
This species is the oldest robust form
Australopithecus boisei
Time Range
2.41.3 million years before present
Geography
East Africa
Locomotion
Bipedalism
Cranial Capacity
Mean: 465 cc
Range: 390500 cc
Height
Female: 4.1 ft
Male: 4.5 ft
Weight
Female: 7588 lbs
Male: 108176 lbs
Other Facts
This species is more robust than A.
robustus (hyperrobust)
Discovered by Mary Leakey in Olduvai
Gorge, Tanzania 1959
Original classification was Zinjanthropus
boisei
Zinj is Arabic for “EastAfrica”
Boisei comes from Charels Boise who
funded the dig that discovered A. boisei
Australopithecus robustus
Time Range
2.01.0 million years before present
Geography
South Africa
Locomotion
Bipedalism
Cranial Capacity
530 cc
Height
Female: 36 ft
Male: 4.3 ft
Weight
Female: 7188 lbs
Male: 88176 lbs
Other Facts
“This was the first species placed in the
genus Paranthropus”
Homo habilis
Time Range
2.31.5 million years before present
Geography
East and South Africa
Locomotion
Bipedalism
Cranial Capacity
Mean: 612 cc
Range: 509674 cc
Height
Female: 3.3 ft
Male: unknown
Weight
Female: 71 lbs
Male: 82 lbs
Other Facts
H. habilis means “able man”
Louis Leakey and colleagues proposed H.
habilis as a species in 1964
Homo erectus
Time Range
2.00.25 million years before present
Geography
Africa, Europe, Asia
Locomotion
Fully modern bipedalism
Cranial Capacity
Mean: 962 cc
Range: 6001,251 cc
Height
4.96.1 ft
Weight
101150 lbs
Other Facts
Original classification Pithecanthropus
erectus which means upright walking man
This species is sometimes split into two
species H. egaster (Africa) and H. erectus
(Asia)
egaster means “work man”
Discovered by Eugene Dubois in Java
1891
1 st species to run long distances, and use
fire
1 st species out of Africa
This species relied heavily on culture
Homo sapiens
Time Range
850,00028,000 archaic Homo sapiens
195,000present modern Homo sapiens
Geography
Worldwide
Locomotion
Fully modern bipedalism
Cranial Capacity
Mean: 1,330 cc
Range: 1,0002,000 cc
Other Facts
Neanderthals possibly a subspecies or side
branch of H. sapiens
Chins are a defining characteristic of H.
sapiens skulls
Cultural changes since H. erectus:
Art (painting, figurines)
long distance trade
intentional burial
rituals
culture changes rapidly
“Lucy” AL 2881
Discovered in Hadar, Ethiopia (1974) by
D. Johansson and T. Gray
Most complete A. afarensis specimen with
40% of skeleton found
3’6” tall adult female
named after Beetles song “Lucy in the sky
with Diamonds”
“Mrs. Ples” Sts 5
Discovered in Sterkfontein, Republic of
South Africa (1947) by John T. Robinson
450 cc
Most complete adult A. africanus cranium
Stored at the Tranvaal Museum, South
Africa
Taung
Discovered in Taung, Republic of South
Africa (1924)
It was the 1 st australopithecine cranium
found
The individual was approximately 34
years old at death
“Black Skull” WT 17,000
Discovered in Lake Turkana, Kenya by
Alan Walker
This specimen is known for its dark color
from the minerals that make up the fossil
One notable feature on this specimen is the
pronounced sagittal crest
“Zinj” OH 5
Discovered in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
(1959) by Mary Leakey
Named after the original genus name of
Zinjanthropus
This specimen has a notable sagittal crest
and large molars
SK 48
Discovered in Swartkrans, Republic of
South Africa by R. Broom and J. T.
Robinson
It was recovered during mining activities
but was broken due to blasting
This specimen has a notable sagittal crest
and large teeth
OH 24
Discovered in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
(1968) by P. Nzube
This specimen was exposed and badly
weathered but was restored and
reconstructed by R. J. Clarke
600 cc
ER 1813
Discovered in Koobi Fora a, East Turkana,
Kenya (1973) by K. Kimeu
Discovered during the Koobi Fora a
Research Project
Most of the cranium and part of the cranial
base and dentition were recovered
ER 1470
Discovered in Koobi Fora, East Turkana,
Kenya (1972) by B. Ngeneo
B. Ngeneo was a member of a team lead
by Richard Leakey
775 cc
Dmanisi
Discovered in the Republic of Georgia
This specimen possibly represents a
transition between H. habilis and H.
erectus
600 cc
“Nariokotome boy” WT 15,000
Discovered in Nariokotome III, West
Turkana, Kenya (1984) cranial fragments
were found by Kamoya Kimeu the rest
was discovered later by Alan Walker and
Richard Leakey
80% of body recovered (all except left
humerus, both radii and most of hands and
feet)
Was 1115 years old at death
880900 cc
ER 3733
Discovered in Koobi Fora, East Turkana,
Kenya (1975)
Discovered during the Koobi Fora
Research Project
Was found in deposits similar to KNM
ER406 (A. boisei) and appears to be
similar to H. erectus from Asia
“Java Man”
Discovered near Trinil, Java on the Solo
River (October 1891) by Dubois
A skull cap and femur were all that was
found at the site
Originally named Pithecantropus erectus
Pithecantropus means “ape man”
In 1951 recategorized as H. erectus
Sangiran 4
Discovered in Sangiran, Indonesia (1939)
by R. von Koenigswald and F. Weidenrich
Back 3/4 th of cranial vault is all that was
found
Steinheim Man
Discovered in Steinheim an der Murr,
Germany (1933) by K. Sigristin
Was discovered in a gravel pit
Most likely a transition between H. erectus
and H. sapiens
1100 cc
Atapuerca 5
Discovered in Sierra de Atapuerca,
Burgos, Spain by Juan Luis Arsuaga
From a limestone cave Sima de los Huesos
“pit of bones” where at least 32
individuals were recovered
Most complete premodern cranium
known
1125 cc
Broken Hill 1
Recovered during open cast mining in a
limestone hill in 1921
This specimen has both rugged and gracile
features
Skhul 5
Discovered in WadielMughara, Israel
(1932) by T. D. McCown and H. Movius
Jr.
The specimen was restored by C. E. Snow
This specimen possibly coexisted with
Neanderthals
There is evidence that this specimen was
intentionally buried
La Ferrassie 1
Discovered in Savignac du bugeu,
Dordogne, France (1909) by D. Deyrony
and L. Capitan
This specimen is a nearly complete
skeleton with typical Neandertal features
La Chapelle aux Saints
Discovered in La ChapelleauxSaints,
France (1908) by A. and J. Bouysonie and
L. Bardon
The specimen has a small lower face most
likely caused by tooth loss
1600 cc
Cromagnon 1
Discovered in Les Eyzies, Dordogne,
France (1868) by workmen and removed
by L. Lartet
Was found with 3 other adults and 4
children
Nicknamed “Old Man” and had a small
lower face possibly due to old age