Man vs. Wild
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Australopithecus Afarensis[edit | edit source]
- Time Period & Location
- 3.9 - 3.0 years ago
- Primarily found in East Africa
- Fossil Discoveries
- 1974: Donald Johanson in 1974 in Ethiopia (found 40% of her)
- 1995: Scientists find fossils in Chad
- Appearance
- Short: 4 feet tall
- Jutting jaw, prominent brow bones, flared cheekbones
- Brain larger than an ape but smaller than a human
- Long arms and humanlike legs
- Capabilities and skills
- Bipedal
- Lived in small social groups
- No tools/spoken language
- Ate easily, chewed fruits.
Homo habilis[edit | edit source]
- Time Period & Location
- 2.5 - 1.5 years ago
- Found in Africa (Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania)
- Fossil Discoveries
- 1931: Louis Leaky found stone tools at Olduvai Gorge (as the Homo habilis are the first hominid to use stone/bone tools!)
- 1959 and later on: The same scientists find more bones
- Appearance
- Face like earlier hominid
- Larger brain, smaller back teeth
- Apelike arms
- Around 5 feet tall and 5 pounds.
- Capabilities and skills
- Made stone and bone tools to cut & chop meat, bone, wood, & grass
- Scavengers for meat
- Ate bone marrow, fruits, collected plants
- Lived in social groups; no known complex language
Homo erectus[edit | edit source]
- Time Period & Location
- 1.8 - 200,000 years ago
- Asia, Africa, and possibly Europe
- Fossil Discoveries
- 1890s - Eugene Dubois discovered bones in Java
- 1920s - Fossils discovered in Peking, China
- 1980s - Remains found in Kenya
- Appearance
- Large brain
- Smooth, round forehead
- Single brown ridge
- Protruding jaw
- Larger back teeth
- No chin
- Tall and thin
- Fully upright stance
- Capabilities and skills
- Controlled fire
- Lived in huts made of branches
- Variety of foods
- Possibly spoken language
- Made flint hand axes
Homo Sapiens Neanderthalensis[edit | edit source]
- Time Period & Location
- 400,000 - 30,000 years ago
- Europe, Western Asia, Near East
- Fossil Discoveries
- 1856: Partial skeleton found in Neander Valley, Germany
- 1880s: Skeletons and tools found
- 1908 - 1911: Skeletons found in France
- Appearance
- Large brain
- Bulge at back of skull
- Bong brows
- Jutting face
- Heavy jaw
- Receding
- Stocky and short limbed
- Thick, heavy bones
- Powerful muscles
- Capabilities and skills
- Flint made into knives, points, blades, & scrapers.
- Hunt large animals in groups
- Cared for old, sick, wounded
- Possible ritual barials
- Lived in tepees
- Stored food
- Possessed simple language
Homo Sapiens Sapiens[edit | edit source]
- Time Period and Location
- 100,000 to now!
- All over the world
- Fossil Discoveries
- 1860s- Human burials discovered in France
- Fossil bones called Cro-Magnon
- Other fossils found throughout the world
- Appearances
- Large brains
- High, rounded skull
- Small teeth
- Steep forehead
- Receded brow ridge
- Prominent chin
- Relatively slender bones
- Capabilities and skills
- Made tools
- Live in social groups
- Semi-permanent structures that are taken as habitats
- Art cravings (Lascaux, France)
- Advance language.