Cᵉ siècle av. J.-C.
East Africa
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Homo habilis is presented as an early Homo form known primarily from Olduvai in Tanzania and possibly from Omo, East Turkana, and Kanapoi. Its dental morphology and relatively enlarged brain distinguish it from Australopithecus, while much of its postcranial skeleton remains similar to that of Australopithecus gracilis. The excerpt estimates its stature at approximately 1.2–1.4 metres and its brain capacity between 680 and nearly 800 cubic centimetres.
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Homo habilis was described at Olduvai in Tanzania in 1964 and may also have been identified at the Omo sites in Ethiopia, east of Lake Turkana, and at Kanapoi in Kenya. The excerpt places it near the australopithecines in body structure but closer to Homo in the evolutionary tendencies of its teeth and brain. Its distribution therefore belongs to the principal fossil zones of eastern Africa.
Its cheek teeth were flatter, longer, and narrower than those attributed to Australopithecus gracilis in South Africa. Estimates based on parietal bones gave a brain capacity of about 680 cubic centimetres, while a skull from eastern Lake Turkana approached 800 cubic centimetres. These features are used to position Homo habilis nearer to modern humans than Australopithecus.
The remainder of the skeleton complicates this picture. The clavicle and other postcranial elements still recall ancestors that moved through trees by swinging from branch to branch. Height is estimated at roughly 1.2 to 1.4 metres, making Homo habilis a relatively small-bodied hominid whose anatomy combined increased cranial development with inherited skeletal traits.
Cᵉ siècle av. J.-C.
East Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Homo habilis is presented as an early Homo form known primarily from Olduvai in Tanzania and possibly from Omo, East Turkana, and Kanapoi. Its dental morphology and relatively enlarged brain distinguish it from Australopithecus, while much of its postcranial skeleton remains similar to that of Australopithecus gracilis. The excerpt estimates its stature at approximately 1.2–1.4 metres and its brain capacity between 680 and nearly 800 cubic centimetres.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Homo habilis was described at Olduvai in Tanzania in 1964 and may also have been identified at the Omo sites in Ethiopia, east of Lake Turkana, and at Kanapoi in Kenya. The excerpt places it near the australopithecines in body structure but closer to Homo in the evolutionary tendencies of its teeth and brain. Its distribution therefore belongs to the principal fossil zones of eastern Africa.
Its cheek teeth were flatter, longer, and narrower than those attributed to Australopithecus gracilis in South Africa. Estimates based on parietal bones gave a brain capacity of about 680 cubic centimetres, while a skull from eastern Lake Turkana approached 800 cubic centimetres. These features are used to position Homo habilis nearer to modern humans than Australopithecus.
The remainder of the skeleton complicates this picture. The clavicle and other postcranial elements still recall ancestors that moved through trees by swinging from branch to branch. Height is estimated at roughly 1.2 to 1.4 metres, making Homo habilis a relatively small-bodied hominid whose anatomy combined increased cranial development with inherited skeletal traits.