Human Evolution

Human Evolution

Humans are evolved by gradual evolution

Human originated in east Africa

Human evolution started 15 mya

CHANGES OCCURRED IN HUMAN EVOLUTION

➖ Left the arboreal life

➖ Development of erect posture

➖ Bipedal locomotion

➖ Increase in the size of brain

➖ Development of intelligence

➖ Use of for limbs for on locomotory function

STAGES IN ORIGIN OF MAN

1. Apes

2. Ape man

3. Primitive man

4. Modern man

1. APES

➖ 15 mya, primates called dryopithecus and ramapithecus were existing

🔹 DRYOPITHECUS

➖ Fossils of dryopithecus discovered by LSB Leaky in 1930

➖ Dryopithecus is considered as ancestors of modern day apes

➖ They had semi erect posture, thick hair, larger and sharper teeth and vegetarian

➖ They were forest dwellers and spent most of time on trees

🔹 RAMAPITHECUS

➖ Fossils discovered from shivalik hills in India

➖ Rampithecus is considered as ancestors of man

➖ They had man like dentition & spent most of time on land

2. APE MAN

➖ This stage is intermediate between apes and men

➖ Australopithecus was an ape-man because it combined may characters of ape and man

➖ It is 2-5 million years old

🔹 AUSTRALOPITHECUS

➖ It was discovered by Prof. Raywond Dart

➖ Australopithecus probably lived in East African grasslands

➖ They hunted with stone weapons but essentially ate fruit

➖ They were 4 feet tall and weighed 60-80 pounds

➖ It is considered as missing link between apes and man

3. PRIMITIVE MAN

➖ Man originated about 5 mya

➖ They are connecting link between australopthecus and modern man

➖ Mostly lived in caves and used fire

➖ They developed speech and buried dead bodies

➖ Some important primitive men

i) HOMO HABILIS

First human like being

First known tool maker

They did not eat meat

Brain capacities were between 650-800cc

Fossils were discovered by Dr. Leakey from rocks in Africa

ii) HOMO ERECTUS

Homo erectus was the first true man

They had large brain with cranial cavity around 900CC

Many subspecies are discovered of Homo erectus as given below

a) JAVA MAN (HOMO ERECTUS ERECTUS)

Fossils was discovered in Java in 1891

They used fire for hunting, Protection and cooking

They used tools of bones and stones

Cranial capacity was 800-1000CC

b) PEAKING MAN (HOMO ERECTUS PEKINENSIS)

W.C. Pei discovered the fossils from china

Cranial capacity was 850-1300CC

4. MODERN MAN

➖ Modern man include all the existing men and also some extinct men

➖ They appeared 3 mya

➖ Modern man originated in Asia around Caspian sea

➖ Many subspecies are discovered of homo sapians

i) NEANDERTHAL MAN (HOMO SAPIENS NEANDERTHALENSIS)

➖ They lived east and central Asia

➖ Fossil was discovered by Fulhrott in Neanderthal valley of Germany

➖ They has brain size of 1400CC

➖ Developed speech

ii) CRO-MAGNON (HOMO SAPIENS FOSSILIS)

➖ Cro-Magnon man was first extinct modern man

➖ Fossils discovered by Mac Gregor from Cro-Magnon rocks of France

➖ He become extinct 20000 Years ago

➖ They had cranial capacity of 1650CC

➖ They wore clothes of animal skin

➖ Domestication was stared by this man

➖ They also painted beautiful painting on cave walls

iii) MODERN MAN (HOMO SAPIENS SAPIENS)

➖ Arose 75000-10000 years ago

➖ This is the man of today having brain capacity of 1300-1600CC

➖ This man has well developed chin, speech, smaller head and reduced body hair

➖ Agriculture was started around 10000 Years back and human settlements stared