1. Human Evolution

2. Adaptations
Adaptation: Any variation that makes an organism better suited to its environment.

3. Characteristics of Primates
Opposable thumbs- to grab and hold objects like food or tools

4. Characteristics of Primates
Binocular vision- judge distance and depth

5. Characteristics of Primates
Flexible shoulders- swinging from branch to branch or throwing

6. Adaptations
How do these three adaptations give primates an evolutionary advantage over other types of animals?

7. Time Line Hominids 4-6 mya Homo habilis 1.5-2 mya
Homo sapien Neanderthals
125, ,000 ya
Australopithicus
mya
Homo erectus
1.6 mya
Homo sapiens Cro-Magnon
10,000-40,000 ya

8. 6 million years ago- a common ancestor with other primates, then we started to evolve separately
Hominids
4-6 mya
Ate both meat and plants, walked upright, larger brains than chimps and apes.
Found in Africa

9. 1. “Ardi” Ardipithcus ramidus (root of the ground ape) 4.4 mya
Could move through trees slowly, most likely lived on ground and walked on 2 legs
Africa

10. 2. “Lucy” Australopithicus africanus (southern man ape) 3.4-2.9 mya
small brain, walked upright, human-like features
Africa

11. Named Lucy because….
Celebrating their find, the anthropologists played “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” over and over again.

12. 3. “Handy Man” Homo habilis 2-1.5 mya Larger brain, tools found nearby
Africa

13. darn

14. 4. “Upright Man” Homo erectus 1.6 mya
Larger brain, fully upright stance, possibly used fire
Africa, SE Asia, China and possibly Europe

16. 5. Homo sapiens Neanderthals
400,000 years ago
Short, heavy bodies with thick bones, small chins and heavy brow ridges. Lived in caves and used stone tools to hunt.
Africa and Europe
Disappeared about 30,000 years ago

18. 6. Homo sapiens Cro-Magnon
40,000 years ago
Similar to modern humans, lived in caves, created art and buried dead.
Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia

19. 7. Homo sapien sapien- “wise human”
Modern humans
10,000-present day
Large brain case, high intelligence, very sophisticated tool builder, written language
Found world-wide

20. Human Migration out of Africa