5 Hominid Groups Chart Name: ______Pd.: ______#: ______

Hominid Group
Scientific
name / Time/Location
From when to when?
Where did they live? / Appearance
Height, brain Size, skull size, body shape, bones. / Attributes
What tools, skills, and traits did they have that set them apart? / Life
How did they use tools, tech, and skills to survive?
Australo-
pithecus afarensis / Time Span:
5-1 million years ago
Location: Eastern and Southern Africa / Height: 4’-5.5’ tall
Description:
Brain half the size of modern humans, spine horizontal into skull, large forward-pointing teeth / -Bipedal
-Used branches and stones as tools
-Lived in groups
-gathered dead animals, nuts, berries
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Homo
habilis / Time Span: 2-1 million years ago
Location: Eastern/Southern Africa and Southeast Asia / Height: 4.5’
Description:
Brain slightly larger than Lucy, more rounded skull, narrower teeth / -group hunting
-Simple huts
-sharpened rocks to use as tools
-Handy Man
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Homo
erectus / Time Span:
1.5 million – 250,000 years ago
Location: began in Africa
Then migrated to Europe and Asia / Height: similar to modern humans
Description:
Brain larger than HH, first to walk completely upright without stooping, large jaw / -First to live during the ice age
-First to make fire
-Completely upright
-Grunting, simple words and gestures
-First to live during the Ice Age
-Hunted Woolly Mammoth
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Hominid Group / Time/Location / Appearance / Tech/Skills/Traits / Life
Homo
Sapiens
neander-
thalensis / Time Span:
100,000-40,000 years ago
Location: Migrated through Africa, Europe, and Asia / Height: Short and stocky
Description: Lower, flatter heads than modern humans; brain similar to modern humans, limited speech due to position of larynx (voice box) / -Short, stocky bodies with large muscles
-First to make clothing
-Burial ceremonies
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Homo
sapiens
Cro-Magnon / Time Span:
40,000-10,000 years ago
Location: Every continent except Antarctica / Height: Same as modern humans
Description:
Same as modern humans – position of larynx made clear speech possible / -Musical Instruments
-Jewelry
-More advanced shelters, some with animal skins
-First with clear speech
-Bows and arrows
-Cave paintings
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How can learning these characteristics help us to answer the Essential Question? ______

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