Comparing Australopithecus afarensis to Modern Humans

Comparing Australopithecus afarensis to Homo erectus

THE OLDUVAI GORGE WHERE HOMO HABILIS WAS FIRST FOUND

Olduvai Gorge Early Culture

The earliest human culture is represented when our earliest ancestors modified natural stones to make the first

implement of labor. This stone technology and tools is known as the Oldowan Industry. It is named after Olduvai

Gorge where it was first found by Dr. Louis, S. B. and Mary D. Leakey. The tools have been found at the same level as

Zinjanthropus boisei and Homo habilis. These are simple tools made from water worn fist-size cobbles. The Oldowan

tools are made by knocking off a few flakes from one or two faces of the stone, thus creating a sharp edge.

Oldowan Tools

Information on the last page and this page was taken from

http://www.zinjanthropus.go.tz/olduvai.aspx

Fossil bones of Homo habilis (handy human) were found by Dr. Mary D. Leakey and son Jonathan at Olduvai Gorge in 1960.

Skull fragments, teeth and postcranial bones of Homo habilis were found about 5 meters away and on the same geologic horizon

where Zinjanthropus boisei was found. It is a smaller form of a hominin and more human-like with relatively larger brain

volume, 680 cm³ on average and up to about 800 cm³. It is believed to be the first early human ancestor to use tools.

Olduvai Gorge Homo habilis remains

1 HOMO HABILIS ~ NICKNAME: Handyman LIVED: 2.4 to 1.6 million years ago HABITAT: Tropical Africa DIET:

Omnivorous – nuts, seeds, tubers, fruits, some meat

2 HOMO SAPIEN ~ NICKNAME: Human LIVED: 200,000 years ago to present HABITAT: All DIET: Omnivorous -

meat, vegetables, tubers, nuts, pizza, sushi

3 HOMO FLORESIENSIS ~ NICKNAME: Hobbit LIVED: 95,000 to 13,000 years ago HABITAT: Flores, Indonesia

(tropical) DIET: Omnivorous - meat included pygmy stegodon, giant rat

4 HOMO ERECTUS ~ NICKNAME: Erectus LIVED: 1.8 million years to 100,000 years ago HABITAT: Tropical to

temperate - Africa, Asia, Europe DIET: Omnivorous - meat, tubers, fruits, nuts

5 PARANTHROPUS BOISEI ~ NICKNAME: Nutcracker man LIVED: 2.3 to 1.4 million years ago HABITAT: Tropical

Africa DIET: Omnivorous - nuts, seeds, leaves, tubers, fruits, maybe some meat

6 HOMO HEIDELBERGENSIS ~ NICKNAME: Goliath LIVED: 700,000 to 300,000 years ago HABITAT: Temperate and

tropical, Africa and Europe DIET: Omnivorous - meat, vegetables, tubers, nuts

7 HOMO NEANDERTHALENSIS ~ NICKNAME: Neanderthal LIVED: 250,000 to 30,000 years ago HABITAT: Europe

and Western Asia DIET: Relied heavily on meat, such as bison, deer and musk ox