Difference between revisions of "5. Characteristics of H. Habilis"

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Characteristics of The Homo Habilis

By Marcus Donovan

The Homo Habilis, also known as the "handy man", was a species of early hominid that lived in Eastern and Southern Africa from 2.4 million years ago to 1.4 million years ago. It was one of the earliest members of the genus Homo. It featured a larger brain and smaller teeth and head than the Australopithecus and other hominids, but it still had the long arms and bulging jaw of most homininds. It is nicknamed the "handy man" because it was believed to be the first user of stone tools, but since its naming older stone tools than the Homo Habilis have been found, and also many other potential stone tool users lived in the same area at the same time. The Homo Habilis is believed to have coexisted with the Homo Erectus for at least half a million years, showing that not all species evolve one after the other. The first Homo Habilis fossil was uncovered by Jonathan Leakey between the years of 1960 and 1963 in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania and was slightly bigger-brained than all other earlier known species. The average Homo Habilis was three feet four inches to four feet five inches. (100-135 cm). It weighed about 70 pounds or 32 kilograms. It adapted to eating meats and vegetables such as leaves, woody plants, and animal fibers, but they also butchered animal meat and ate marrow.

Source: "Homo Habilis." Smithsonian. Smithsonian Institute, 8 October 2014. Web. 8 October 2014. <[1]>