Hominids

• Bipedal locomotion
• Foramen magnum is locate anteriorly balanced in a vertical orientation appropriate for upright posture and movement
• Vertebral column is S-shaped w/ spinal curves; the cervical curve and the lumbar curve - allow the weight of the body to be carried directly over the kneews and feet in the mid-line. The pelvic girdle is short and broad compared to apes, allowing the center of gravity to located in the pelvic basin.
• The femur is also modified to bring the knees into the midline. Femur is angled inward from the hip to the knee where it articulates w/ the tibia at an angle - valgus knee

• Large Brain Size
• Reduced canine and diastema
• Parabolic dental arcade (later hominids)
• Reduced prognathism (facial projection)
• No C/P3 hone/honing complex/Sectorial premolar
• Thick molar enamel

• Found East Africa
• Thick enamel
• Bipedal
• 400cc-550cc
• increase in cranial & dental robusticity

• A.anamensis
• 4 mya
• parallel tooth rows & C/P3 honing complex
• canine is somewhat reduced

• A. afarensis
• bipedal
• 400-500cc
• pronounced sexualn dimorphism
• canine and diastema are reduced
• no CP3 hone
• sagittal crest
• temporol nuchal crest
• flat cranial base
• relatively prognathic
• U- Shaped diastema

• A. Africanus
• slightly larger brain case (450-550cc)
• lack of crest on the cranium and less prognathism molars are larger
• no flaring of zygomatics
• rounded vault
• slightly smaller front teeth

• 450-550 cc
• hard object feeding traits
• sagittal crest
• extreme post orbital constriction
• large molars
• large, robust mandible
• widely flaring zygomatics
• dished face for the attached of masseter muscle

• A. Robustus
• 2.5 - 1 mya
• S size of incisor
• L size of canine
• No diastema
• No sectorial premolars
• 450-550cc
• No projecting face
• Dish face
• Sagittal crest
• flaring zygomatics

• A. boisei
• 2.5 - 1 mya
• S size of incisors
• L size of the cheek
• S size of canine
• No diastema
• No sectorial premolars
• 450-550cc
• No projecting face
• Dish face
• sagittal crest
• flaring zygomatic

• A. aethiopicus
• 2.6 mya
• S size of incisors
• L cheek teeth
• S canine
• No diastema
• No sectorial premolars
• 450-550cc
• No projecting face
• dish face
• sagittal crest
• flaring zygomatics

• 2.5-1.5 mya
• Ethiopia, Kenta, Tanzania and South Africa
• Large anterior tooth size
• Small cheek tooth size
• 500-775cc
• No cresting
• No dish face or wide zygomatics
• Rounded occipital contour
• No mandibular robusticity

• East Africa
• 1.8 mya 
• 700-1200 cc
• thickened cortical bones in the limbs
• a long and low cranium w/ sloping frontal bone
• thickened regions on the cranium - cranial buttressing system includes a series of thickened ridges that give distinctive appearance. Serves as a biomechanical adaptation for absorbing stress on the cranium - meat based diet

Supraorbital torus - prominent brow ridge above the eye orbits

Sagittal keel - raised portion along the sagittal suture

Occiptal torus - thickened ridge of bone running horizontally across the occipital bone

angular torus - runs horizontally along the posterior/inferior portion of the parietal


shovel shaped incisors - lingual side ofr the tooth has ridges along the edges creating a shovel common in Chinese specimens

• Oldowan tool industry
• 1st stone tools
• composed of predominantly cores, or flakes to create a sharp edge very sharp and useful to butchering animal carcasses
• Hammer stones were also used to crack open the bones to extract the nutrient rich marrow.

Crude in design, but created a new niche in animal resources

• The Acheulean tool industry
• used by H.erectus
• 1.4 mya
• bifacially worked - flakes removed from two opposing sides to create a sharp edge
• made w/ a mental template
• not simplistic
• tool kit is composed primarily of an hand axe, tear drop shaped tool, w/ assorted cleavers

• retain large brow ridge arching than bar like
• occipital torus
• long low cranium
• larger face than H.erectus
• tooth size similar to modern humans

• increased brain size 1200cc
• Best known sites: Europe & Africa

• Found in Europe and Middle East
• largest brain size of any hominid species 1500cc but retained long low cranium
• receding forehead and supraorbital torus (double arching browridge)
• cold adaptations
• shorter distal limb segments (forearm/lower leg)
• midfacial prognathism
• occipital bun
• retromolar space
• very large incisors w/ extreme dental wear

• large brain size 1400cc
• high vaulted rounded cranium
• vertical prominent chin
• small jaws and teeth
• lack of crests or tori on the cranium
• slim gracile skeleton