Summary
Objectives
- Being able to describe the stages of human evolution.
- Being able to describe the features specific to modern humans.
Summary
- Humans and apes have common ancestors.
- There are three stages of evolution in human evolution; 1. the southern monkeys were the first to walk on two legs, 2. the ancestors already made various necessities and hunted prey, 3. modern man spread from Africa to Europe and Asia.
- Human characteristics include e.g. precision grip and speech ability.
- Keywords: human evolution, southern apes, ancestors: homo habilis and homo erectus, modern man (homo sapiens).
| Species | Time | External features | Nutrition | Habitat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Southern Apes (Australopithecus) |
5–2 million years ago |
Like chimpanzees nowadays, upright movements |
Plants, also meat and carcasses |
Eastern and Southern Africa |
|
Homo habilis |
2,5–1,8 million years ago |
Larger in size in comparison to Southern apes, larger brain |
Gathering and hunting |
Africa |
|
Homo erectus |
2 million– 50 000 years ago |
Walking on two feet, larger size, larger brain |
Hunting, gathering and carcasses |
Africa, Asia and Europe |
|
Neandertals (Homo neanderthalis) |
230 000 – 28 000 years ago |
Muscular, larger brain, shorter in size compared to modern human |
Hunting and gathering |
Europe, Middle East |
|
Modern human (Homo sapiens) |
200 000 years ago – now |
Large skull (large brain) |
Hunting, gathering, agriculture |
Entire world |