Lecture title - History 1 Early hominins and bipedality

7 important questions on Lecture title - History 1 Early hominins and bipedality

Describe the Savanna hypothesis (6)

East africa less rainfall
Woodland changes to Savanna
Apes forced to adapt to open landscape
Walk on 2 legs
Hands free for tools
Increases brain size

Who is the last common ancestors humans share with chimpanzees

Unknown -> hasnt been found yet

What type of locomotion do fossil hominids show

Different types
'Orthograde posture' -> upright climbing
Danuvius guggenmosi (11.6 Ma) -> maybe bipedal?
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Describe the specialisation trap (climate, old world, african, hominins)

Cooling climate -> changing locomotion fossil apes (maybe for continuing frugivorous life in worsening conditions)
Old world monkeys -> generalists, more successful
African apes: escape partly by terrestrial way of life
Hominins: escape by bipedalism and reliance on culturally transmitted technology

Describe Sahelanthropus (period, found bones, pedality)

7 Ma
Femur and skull (both damaged)
Unsure if hominid or hominin
Unknown if bipedal  
Found together with otters, crocodiles, kob and hippos

Describe Ardipithecus (period, anatomy, posture, pedality, environment)

5 Ma
Well represented anatomy
Erect posture
Bipedal unlike extant apes: walking on branches, climbing, short distances terrestrial
Environment: wooded biotope grading to savanna, bipedalism originating in arboreal context and used terrestrially

Describe Australopithecus afarensis (period, location, pedality)

4 - 3 Ma
East africa
Bipedal
(Lucy -> died from falling out of tree likely)

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