Fossils for a large number of hominid species, including pre-human primates and human primates, have been found by paleontologists. As shown in this chart, various hominid species have been identified from fossil remains. Take a look these distant and not-so-distant relations:
| Species* and Where Found |
Lived (mya= million years ago) | Interesting Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| A. anamensis Kenya |
4.2 to 3.9 mya | Probably walked upright |
| A. afarensis Ethiopia, Kenya |
3.6 to 2.9 mya | Walked upright. Most famous member (to us anyway) is Lucy, the nearly complete fossil found in 1974 |
| A. africanus South Africa |
3 to 2 mya | Teeth more human-like than ape-like, probably bipedal |
| A. aethiopicus Ethiopia |
2.7 to 2.3 mya | Considered a transitional species between A. afarensis and A. boisei |
| A. garhi Ethiopia |
2.5 mya | Possibly the earliest tool user |
| A. boisei Tanzania, Ethiopia |
2.3 to 1.4 mya | Formerly considered to be a direct human ancestor until H. habilis was discovered |
| A. robustus South Africa |
1.8 to 1.5 mya | May have used tools to dig up edible roots |
| H. rudolfensis Kenya, Tanzania |
2.4 to 1.8 mya | Bipedal with a large brain |
| H. habilis Kenya |
2.3 to 1.6 mya | "Handy man"; used tools, brain larger and more humanshaped, possibly capable of rudimentary speech |
| H. ergaster Eastern and South Africa |
1.9 to 1.4 mya | Made some nice tools, had smaller teeth |
| H. erectus Republic of Georgia, Kenya, China, Indonesia and Europe |
1.9 to 0.3 mya (and possibly 50,000 years ago) | Definitely used tools, probably discovered fire, andmay have lived at same time as modern humans |
| H. heielbergensis Africa, Europe |
600,000 to 100,000 years ago | Brain size equal to modern humans, found with tools sharp enough to slice through animal hides, almost certainly used fire |
| H. neanderthalensis Europe,Middle East |
250,000 to 30,000 years ago | Lived mostly in cold climates, shared the earth with H. sapiens, may have had a complex social system that care for the elderly and burial rituals |
| H. sapiens Worldwide |
100,000 years ago to today | Large brains (not always used) and ability to manipulate tools, situations, and the emotions of other H. sapiens |
*Note: The A or H in the species' names is scientific shorthand. Instead of writing Australopithecus, for example, scientists simply write A. The term Australopithecus speaks to the origin of the fossil: southern Africa. H, of course, stands for Homo, which means man. The name Homo sapiens means wise man.