ANTH-101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Australopithecus, Paranthropus Boisei, Paranthropus
3 Oct 2017
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Summary points: the drying trend in climate that began about 16 million to 11 million years ago diminished the african rain forests and gave rise to areas of savanna and scattered woodlands. The more open country probably favored characteristics adapted to ground living in some primates. In the evolutionary line leading to humans, these adaptations included bipedalism: one of the crucial changes in early hominid evolution was the development of bipedalism. Two-legged walking may also have helped to cool the body. Sahelanthropus, orrorin, and ardipithecus are likely candidates for the first hominid. They date as early as 6 million years ago, and may have walked bipedally. Undisputed hominids dating before 4 million years ago have been found in east africa. Africa and date from about 2. 5 millions years ago. Flake tools predominate, but choppers are also common. These early stone tools are referred to as.
