Comparison of 3 Australopithecines Essay example

Homo erectus was first found in Africa and the fossilized remains dated 1.8 and 1.0 million years old. The Homo erectus traits are very similar toward the modern human traits. Homo erectus brain size was smaller than the Homo sapiens. Homo erectus had a brain size of approximately 650 cc and Homo sapiens had a brain size of approximately 1251

In conclusion, there are many different forms of evidence to support the idea of evolution by natural selection among homo sapiens in Australia. With reference to the scientific theories and information present today, it becomes obvious that homo sapiens in Australia are still evolving and will continue to over time in order to cope with and adapt to environmental changes.

The beginning of the Eocene Epoch was a period of continued global warmth and widespread rainforests continued to favor mammals that fed on plants and insects, including the Adapids and Omomyids. Research done by Gingerich (1980) indicates that Adapids exhibited sexual dimorphism and were larger than the Omomyids, ranging in size from .6-8 kg compared to .5g –

Afropithecus is a fairly large extinct ape- 50kg, characterized by a lack of a prehensile tail, long snout with procumbent incisors, generalized limb proportions and thick molar enamel. The braincase of Afropithecus is fairly small in size compared to other Miocene apes and Old World Monkeys from the same area. The primitive characteristics of Afropithecus suggest a relation to early catarrhines- such as Aegyptopithecus. And the post-cranial fossil record suggest that it was both arboreal and quadrupedal, similar to the proconsul that Afropithecus is categorized

“Despite intense research efforts, no consensus has been reached about the genetic relationship between early modern humans and archaic human forms such as the Neanderthals” (Serre, 16 March 2004). It is a

The earliest known and accepted fossils are categorized as Australopithecus or the southern ape. A well known and famous fossil known as Lucy belongs to this fossil group, fossils of Australopithecus's have been found in areas such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Chad, and South Africa and are dated as far back as 4.2 - 2.3 MYA. These primates are known as bipedal apes meaning they walked upright, members of this primate group also had facial features that were apelike, had brains half the size of chimpanzees, and weighed on average of one-hundred and five pounds. It is thought these primates adapted to arboreal and terrestrial environments because dental exams of their teeth indicate a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and leaves. On the contrary members of the Paranthropus primates have fossils that have also been recognized these fossils have been found in places like: Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa which are dated as far back as 2.8 - 1MYA. This species was thought

1. How did Australopithecus differ from other mammals? Australopithecus is differ from other mammals by Australopithecus lived from 4 million to 1 million B.C. ago, found in southern and Eastern Africa, have brain size of 500 cubic centimeters, and they are the first creature to know how to walk upright. 2.

In the film, Neanderthals on Trial, numerous questions are presented regarding where Neanderthals fit into our evolutionary history. Were they ancestors to modern humans or were they an evolutionary dead end? Are they physically similar enough to be considered humans? Did their level of intelligence match ours or was it inferior? The film provides information on the evidence found to support their assumptions about who the Neanderthals were. There is debate between those who believe Neanderthals were a different species and those who believe they are a subspecies of humans. Despite some anthropologists believing the Neanderthals are not a species of humans, there is evidence supporting that they are, through DNA analysis, as well as analysis of cranial features, stone tools, and behavior, as depicted in the film.

However the minority of species that branch off from the human evolutionary tree and are either claimed by extinction or evolved down a second evolutionary branch, and what differences existed in them that differed from our ancestors. The species such as Australopithecus Boisei lived in the same time period to that of Australopithecus Africanus and Aferensis. However based off the information (See research booklet) it I notice that the A. Boisei has a significantly decreased brain to body weight

In terms of lower limb proportions comparing Australopithecines and Paranthropus, only a few post cranial remains have been discovered. Comparing the post cranial remains of these genera to those of modern day non-human and human apes can give great insight to the locomotion and stature of Paranthropus and Australopithecines.

The bone structure of an African Great Ape is more suited for a knuckle walk than a bipedal walk (kamrani, 2007). They have the capability to walk a bipedal walk, but typically only do so for short bursts (kamrani, 2007). There are many reasons for the knuckle walk to be favoured by the ape (kamrani, 2007). African Great Apes have less stability control over their heads than humans, who favour a bipedal walk (kamrani, 2007). Compared to humans, The African Great Ape has arms that are longer than its legs, hands that are more robust because they bear more weight and force, and backs less specialised for weight distribution (kamrani, 2007). All of these differences cause Apes to use a knuckle walk because it is better suited to their skeletal

The Diprotodon was the largest marsupial known and the last of the extinct herbivorous diprotodontis. About 25 000 years ago they became extinct. They were heavily built, large bellied quadruped whose limbs were sturdy. Its distinctive feet were small and inturned much like wombats. Diprotodon’s have been identified as being close relatives to wombats. It was 4 metres in length and up to 2800 kilograms in weight. The Diprotodon’s upper limb bones were longer then its lower limb bones. They preferred semi-arid plains and consumed vegetation. Fossil evidence has discovered that due to the lower sea levels, and droughts made inland, Australia was inhabitable. Due to this Diprotodon have been found at the centre of Lake Callabonna in northern South Australia trapped in mud as the lakebed dried out. Due to Australia drifting north Woodlands became grasslands as the climate became drier. The Diprotodon is believed to have become extinct due to droughts and the fact Australia was barren and waterless. They are believed to have evolved to smaller sizes to cope with the harsher climate. Therefore, fossil evidence such as the Diprotodon is shown to support the theory of evolution being the cause of the distribution of Australian species after Australia drifted

Scientists have been able to discover things about our past that are almost inconceivable over 150 years ago when Charles Darwin was releasing his book, “The Origin of Species” (Gibbons, 2009a). Fossils from different australopith species have been found that lived between 4 million and 2 million years ago that show the clearer transition to human. The author, Kate Wong (2013) believes the Australopithecus sediba is the most important human ancestor discovered. Even though the discovery of Au. sediba allowed anthropologists to see human species a long time ago, there are opinions on whether it was the most important human ancestor discovered. This essay will explore how hominids have gone through many changes to get from Ardipithecus to Homo habilis and the important discoveries by scientists and what I think is the most important to the study of human origins.

What’s more, the ability to use the freed limbs for foraging on the ground encouraged the consumption of seeds and grain (Jolly, 1970). The option to carry food from one place to another would also be offered. The convenience of carrying young to safety also highlights a likely benefit of bipedalism. Conceivably, it was the increase in food variety, abundance and dispersion which stimulated such deviation towards terrestrial locomotion. It is widely recognised that at some time, the hominins advanced to the ground in order to collect food instead of staying in the trees (Stanford, 2003). Perchance, this was “owing to a change in its manner of procuring substinence, or to a change in the conditions” (Darwin, 1871).

kadabba came lasted from about 5.8 to 5.2 million years ago and the A. ramidus lasted from about 5.2 million years ago to about 4.2 million years ago. The A. ramidus possessed a pelvis and limbs that were slightly less ape like, the possession of these things showed that apes were coming close to being fully bipedal. The fourth genus in human evolution was named Australopithecus, this genus marked a key point in human evolution and has five members that that are known of but only three that are ancestors of humans and they include the anamensis, the afarensis, and the africanus. The A. anamensis existed from around 4.2 to 3.9 million years ago and possessed and expanded tibia which shows that they were fully bipedal. With the A. afarensis came smaller canine teeth and a body that was fully adapted for walking on two feet for long periods of time, it lasted from about 3.9 to 2.95 million years