Difference between revisions of "1. Reasons for rise of Australopithecines"

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The term Australopiths (or Australopithecines) refers mainly to any species related to the ''Australopithecus'' and "Paranthropus" genus, bodies of species closely related to the "Homo" genus found mainly in eastern, central, and southern Africa during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs and considered a major stepping stone in evolution towards humans. [[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/44115/Australopithecus]]
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Return to [[History 8 Human Origins Concepts]]
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The Australopithecines rose 5-6 million years ago. The had brains no bigger than chimpanzees and they were similar to humans but were covered in hair. "Animals must be prepared to defend themselves and (particularly) their young against predators." The Australopithecines rose by adapting to the environment by eating the vast amount of vegetation. They also had opposable thumbs which helped with eating the plants and gethering food.  The Australopithecines died out due to the change in anatomical changes on the earth.  
  
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The major characteristic of Australopiths that led to their rise was bipedal movement and primitive use of brain. During the Pliocene epoch, when the first hominids arose, the tropical jungles and forests began to shrink, forcing populations of weak primates onto the open savannah. In the savannah the primates needed to defend themselves. The species who survived had to be flexible and innovative in their behavior, which later stood out in natural selection. Without natural defenses such as claws or jaws, the Australopiths turned to using aggressive movements with their hands like throwing rocks. However, accurate and effective throwing requires an opposable grip and a bipedal stance.  The bipedalism freed hands and allowed the Australopiths to access underground food, walk long distances, and carry food effectively. Therefore, Australopithecines thrived for a notable period of time. As such, the environment honed the primates into bipedal hominids. 
 
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http://j.whyville.net/smmk/whytimes/img?id=8067&idx=2
 
  
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Sources:
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http://www.bevpease.force9.co.uk/p.Hominids_files/image001.jpg
  
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[[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC164648/]]
 
  
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LM 22-23
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http://evolution-of-man.info/australopithecines.htm
  
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Author: Linda Yu
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Sydney Buchman
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Return to [[History 8 Human Origins Concepts]]
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Latest revision as of 08:58, 13 October 2015

Return to History 8 Human Origins Concepts The Australopithecines rose 5-6 million years ago. The had brains no bigger than chimpanzees and they were similar to humans but were covered in hair. "Animals must be prepared to defend themselves and (particularly) their young against predators." The Australopithecines rose by adapting to the environment by eating the vast amount of vegetation. They also had opposable thumbs which helped with eating the plants and gethering food. The Australopithecines died out due to the change in anatomical changes on the earth.


image001.jpg


http://evolution-of-man.info/australopithecines.htm

Sydney Buchman

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