Homo habilis
Early human (meaning 'handy man') species that is believed to have originated around 2 million years ago.[1]. Fossilized remains of this species have been found in Sub-Saharan Africa and place the species in Sub-Saharan Africa as recent as 200,000 years ago.[2]
Homo habilis is considered to be the first of the genus Homo and is one of the few species of the genus Homo which are found only in Africa.
Taxonomy
This species is believed to have had a larger brain than earlier species but a lesser developed frontal cortex than homo sapien. The lesser developed frontal cortex is evidenced by the more sloped forehead. The brain of homo habilis averaged over 600 cubic centimeters.[3]
The jaws and teeth of homo habilis protrude in front of the orbital sockets. The teeth are large and slightly and have been found to slightly flare outward from the mouth. The size and composition of the teeth indicates this species did not rely primarily on tough food and may have subsisted mostly on plants.
Homo habilis exhibited long arms, and is bipedal, meaning the species walked upright on two legs like homo sapien. The finger bones of this species are similar to homo sapien indicating the ability for precision grip.
Distribution
Fossils of this species have been found in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 1959 and 1960 the first fossils were discovered at Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania.[4] Additional specimens have been found in 1972 in the Lake Turkana region of northern Kenya[5] and, and in 2013 at Sterkfontein in South Africa[6]. Most recently in 2015 in Ledi-Gararu, Ethiopia.
