Earliest primates

1
Primates and the Origin of Humans

• Earliest primates
• fossils 55 MYA, molecular clock 90 MYA
• grasping fingers toes
• binocular vision
• prosimians (lemurs) and anthropoids 40 MYA
• Anthropoidea
• New World monkeys all arboreal, flat spreading
  noses and prehensile tails
• Old World monkeys no prehensile tail, close
  nostrils downward nose
• Hominoidea

2
Hominoidea

• Apes
• Larger brains, no tail, knuckle-walking
• Gibbon branch split off 15 MYA
• Large body size, primarily ground dwellers
• Orangutan split 10 MYA
• Gorilla split 8 MYA
• Chimpanzee and bonobo split 6-7 MYA, share 97
  DNA with humans
• Hominids
• Last common ancestor with chimps and bonobos 6-7
  MYA
• Bipedal (with corresponding anatomical
  modifications), may be adaptation to life in the
  open savanna
• Evolutionary trend of increasing brain size
• Greatly increased tool production and use
• Complex language and abstract thinking (music
  mathematics)

3
Early Hominids

• Sahelanthropus
• 6-7 MYA, cranium, lower jaws and teeth
• 320-380 cc brain capacity - approx. same as
  chimpanzee
• foramen magnum is towards the back of the skull
  and it may not be on the human lineage
• Australopithecus (south ape)
• A. anamensis
• 4.2 - 3.9 MYA, primitive skull and more advanced
  body
• A. afarensis - Lucy
• 3.9 3.0 MYA, 375 - 550 cc, chimp-like skull
  with human-like teeth
• 3'6 - 5'0 height, sexual dimorphism
• A. garhi
• 2.5 MYA
• First hominid to use stone tools (for butchering)

4
Early Homo

• Homo habilis (handy man)
• Until recently thought the first human to produce
  stone tools
• 1.7-1.8 MYA, 680 cc
• Homo rudolphensis
• 1.9 MYA, 750 cc
• Homo ergaster (workman) Turkana Boy
• 1.6 MYA, 800-900 cc
• larger 5 6.5 ft tall, human-like molars

5
Early Homo

• Homo erectus (upright man)
• 1.5 MYA 13,000 years ago
• 1000 cc, 5 ft. tall, fully erect posture
• Worldwide migration, talk? and symbolic
  (abstract) thinking?
• Java Man
• Peking Man lived until 40,000 years ago in East
  Asia, first use of fire
• Georgia (Asia)
• Homo floresiensis - The Hobbit from the
  Indonesian island of Flores, lived only until
  15,000 years ago

6
Recent Homo

• Homo neanderthalensis (Neandertals)
• 300,000 30,000 years ago, Europe, Asia
• 1600 cc, 55 tall, powerful stocky build
• Language, primitive art, burials, music (flute)
• Homo sapiens (Cro-Magnon and modern man)
• 1350 cc, 170,00 years ago present
• More gracile build, cave paintings, statues, more
  sophisticated tools
• Out of Africa once or twice?