HOMINID CRANIUM COMPARISON (The

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HOMINID CRANIUM COMPARISON (The Skulls
Lab)

• Lab 10

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Objectives

• Describe, measure and compare cranial casts or
  drawings from contemporary apes (chimpanzees and
  gorillas), modern humans and fossil hominins
  (erect and bipedal forms evolutionarily separated
  from apes). (Hominid is the new collective term
  for African apes and humans).
• The purpose of the activity is for you to
  discover what some of the similarities and
  differences are that exist between theses forms,
  and to see the pattern of the gradual
  accumulation of traits over time, leading to
  modern humans.

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Concepts

• Documenting similarities and differences between
  species is fundamental to understanding their
  biological and evolutionary relationships.
• Transitional forms in an evolutionary sequence
  are generally mosaic some traits evolve more
  rapidly than others.
• Modern humans have not evolved from modern apes
  both have evolved from a common ancestor

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Objectives

• Identify the appropriate skeletal and dental
  features and landmarks required for the
  measurements and descriptions.
• Describe features of a given specimen as either
  similar to, different from or the same as those
  present in another specimen.
• Recognize the sequence pattern in which several
  human skull features appeared over time.

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Procedure

• Humans can be used as evidence to support the
  idea that modern species are evolutionarily
  related to one another and descended from now
  extinct non-modern forms.
• You should have a copy of the Hominid Cranium
  Comparison Checklist because the details of each
  measurement and observation are spelled out on
  it. Create you own data worksheet for recording
  descriptions and measurements.

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• Label the columns on your data worksheets with
  the names of each specimen. Simply number the
  left hand edge of the worksheet 1 through 18 to
  correspond to the 18 items on the checklist (This
  will put all entries for a single checklist item
  on the same line across the page to facilitate
  comparisons).

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• Measure and described the specimens. Determine
  and describe the patterns represented by your
  findings.
• Simply list those features that all of the
  specimens have in common
• Identify those features which are most useful for
  distinguishing between the specimens
• Describe the changes that occur in only the
  hominin crania over time

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• CHECKLIST HOMINOID CRANIUM COMPARISON
• PLEASE READ THESE 5 STATEMENTS BEFORE BEGINNING
  THIS ACTIVITY
• 1.- Work in group of 3-4 students so that
  everyone can be involved in the activity.
• 2.- BE SURE (!) TO TAKE TURNS doing different
  measurements and observations.
• 3.- When taking a measurement, use the SLIDING
  CALIPERS (except for 11 12 which may require
  the HINGE calipers) and remember to..
• 4.- ALWAYS MEASURE IN MILLIMETERS (mm) and round
  off to whole numbers.
• 5.- PLEASE DO NOT ADD ANY PENCIL OR PEN MARK
  TATTOOS TO THESE CRANIA, OR STICK YOUR FINGERS
  IN THEIR EYE ORBITS OR NOSES!