63 The Evolution of Primates

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6-3 The Evolution of Primates
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Primates

• Human, Monkeys and apes are all Primates.
• Common Characteristics of all primates include
  opposable thumbs, binocular vision, and flexible
  shoulder joint.
• Primates are are divided into two groups
  prosimians (lemurs), and anthrapoids (humans and
  apes)

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Hominids

• Ancestors that walked upright ate both meat and
  plants.
• Shared more characteristics with apes than man.
• Larger brain separated them from apes.

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African Origins

• Early 1920 the oldest hominid Fossil named
  Australopithecus.
• Lucy was found in 1974 showed that it walked
  upright.
• This fossil shows that modern humans may come
  from a similar ancestor.

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Early Humans

• HomoHabilis - found in 1960s was more like
  modern humans.
• Stone tools were found near Habilis.
• 1.5 to 2 million years old
• HomoErectus evolved from habilis
• Erectus had larger brain that habilis and moved
  out Africa.

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Humans

• Fossil Records show that modern humans appeared
  about 400,000 years ago.

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Neanderthals

• Lived in family groups and made well developed
  stone tools.
• Disappeared from fossil record 30,000 years ago.
• Probably not a direct ancestor of humans.

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Cro-Magnon Humans

• Fossils found in Europe, Asia, and Australia.
• Were present 10,000 to 40,000 years ago
• Were a lot like modern humans, buried dead, 1.6
  to 1.7 meters tall, made stone tools and
  carvings.
• Thought to be direct ancestor of modern humans.

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