Hominid Evolution

Syllabus Dot Points Covered in this Section:

• humans as primates are classified in the same taxonomic family as the great apes. The species within the family are differentiated by DNA nucleotide sequences, which brings about differences in:
  • relative size of cerebral cortex
  • mobility of the digits
  • locomotion – adaptations to bipedalism and quadrupedalism
  • prognathism and dentition
• determining relatedness and possible evolutionary pathways for hominins uses evidence from comparisons of modern humans and the great apes with fossils of:
  • Australopithecus afarensis
  • Australopithecus africanus
  • Paranthropus robustus
  • Homo habilis
  • Homo erectus
  • Homo neanderthalensis
  • Homo sapiens

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

• Modern humans are called homo sapiens
• Cranium / cranial refers to features of the skull (facial features, cranial capacity, features of the skull)
• Post cranial refers to the features of the body
• Understand the that bipedalism is when the species walks on two feet (locomotion), and that quadrupeds walk on all fours.