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Homo (from Latin homÅ 'human') is a genus of great ape (family Hominidae) that emerged from the genus Australopithecus and encompasses only a single extant species, Homo sapiens (modern humans), along with a number of extinct species (collectively called archaic humans) classified as either ancestral or closely related to modern humans; these include Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis.
The australopithecines occurred in the Late Miocene sub-epoch and were bipedal, and they were dentally similar to humans, but with a brain size not much larger than that of modern non-human apes, with lesser encephalization than in the genus Homo. [13] Humans (genus Homo) may have descended from australopithecine ancestors and the genera ...
A. anamensis and many more Australopithecus branches, Australopithecus cannot be consolidated into a coherent grouping without also including the Homo genus and other genera. The earliest known member of the genus, A. anamensis, existed in eastern Africa around 4.2 million years ago.
Australopithecus appeared and evolved before the genus Homo. The features of this hominid were a combination of apelike and human-like. Their arms were longer, which scientists believe was for ...
Australopithecus garhi was using stone tools at about 2.5 Ma. Homo habilis is the oldest species given the designation Homo, by Leakey et al. in 1964. H. habilis is intermediate between Australopithecus afarensis and H. erectus, and there have been suggestions to re-classify it within genus Australopithecus, as Australopithecus habilis.
Reconstruction of Lucy, the first Australopithecus afarensis skeleton found. The genus Homo evolved from Australopithecus. [19] [20] Though fossils from the transition are scarce, the earliest members of Homo share several key traits with Australopithecus. [21] [22] Some specialists claim Homo appeared 4.30–2.56 million years ago. [23].
Along with similarities to contemporary Homo, they share several characteristics with the ancestral Australopithecus as well as early Homo (mosaic evolution), most notably a small cranial capacity of 465–610 cm 3 (28.4–37.2 cu in), compared with 1,270–1,330 cm 3 (78–81 cu in) in modern humans.
From these early species, the australopithecines arose around and diverged into robust (also called Paranthropus) and gracile branches, one of which (possibly A. garhi) probably went on to become ancestors of the genus Homo. The australopithecine species that is best represented in the fossil record is Australopithecus afarensis with more than ...