ANT E101 Lecture 27: Ant E 101 - Class 27 (Spring)
Document Summary
Largest collection of a hominin species in the fossil record. Opportunity to start to look at variation within the species. The general shape of h. naledi"s skull is advanced, through the braincase is less than half of a modern humans. The leg bones are long and slender and have the strong muscle attachments characteristic of a modern bipedal gait. Except for the slightly curved toes, the feet are nearly indistinguishable from ours, with arches that suggest an efficient long-distance stride. Small braincase, similar in size to earlier hominins. Shoulders are positioned in a way that would have helped with climbing and hanging. The hip bones flare outward and are shorter front to back than those of modern humans. Long, curved, fingers, useful for climbing in trees, could be a trait from a. Not yet possible to date the context in which the fossils were found more apelike ancestor.
