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9: Early Hominins

  • Page ID
    138539
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    Learning Objectives

    • Recognize skeletal traits associated with bipedal locomotion
    • Explain how modern analogs help anthropologists interpret behavior from fossil remains
    • Assess australopithecine locomotive behavior using skeletal morphology

    • 9.1: Australopithecine Locomotion
      This page presents an educational activity focusing on the locomotion traits of Australopithecus afarensis (like "Lucy") in comparison to modern humans and apes. Students examine skeletal features through casts or images, categorize traits as bipedal or quadrupedal, and illustrate these traits on a skeleton image. This exercise promotes understanding of australopithecine locomotion and mosaic evolution, with adaptations provided for online learning.
    • 9.2: Australopithecine Locomotion (Worksheet)
      This page describes an activity about Australopithecus afarensis, encouraging students to analyze and compare its skeletal features with those of modern humans and apes. Students will identify indicators of bipedal and quadrupedal locomotion, color-code a skeleton drawing, and enhance their understanding of Australopithecine locomotion and behavior by examining physical traits.
    • 9.3: Tactile Evolution
      This page presents an educational activity designed to explore the skeletal differences between non-obligate and obligate bipeds, using modeling clay for hands-on learning. Students will create skeletal models to visualize bipedalism-related changes, fostering kinesthetic engagement. Post-activity discussions will enhance comprehension of the key challenges and significant transformations in skeletal structures pertinent to human evolution.
    • 9.4: Tactile Evolution (Worksheet)
      This page presents a practical assignment on the skeletal adaptations from non-obligate biped (chimpanzee) to obligate biped (modern human). Students are tasked with modeling key skeletal elements, including the cranium, lumbar vertebrae, pelvis, femur, and foot in clay, while summarizing the transformation process, challenges encountered, and significant adaptations for each feature necessary for bipedalism.
    • 9.5: Fossil Hominins
      This page presents a lab focused on analyzing hominin fossil casts to distinguish anatomical features related to bipedalism, comparing skulls and pelvises of early hominins and modern humans. Students study traits of species like Ardipithecus and Australopithecus, enhancing their understanding of evolutionary anatomy.
    • 9.6: Fossil Hominins (Worksheet)
      This page examines early hominins through fossil casts, focusing on genera like Sahelanthropus and Australopithecus which lived from 7 to 1 million years ago. Students analyze anatomical features, bipedal adaptations, and record observations. Additionally, the page explores robust and gracile Australopithecines, particularly Paranthropus, highlighting their anatomical and dietary distinctions, with emphasis on adaptations for processing tough plant materials and the implications on diet.

    Thumbnail: « Lucy » skeleton (AL 288-1) Australopithecus afarensis, cast from Museum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris. (Cc BY 2.5; 120 via Wikipedia)


    This page titled 9: Early Hominins was last modified on Fri, 03 Jul 2026 01:59:41 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Explorations (Anthropology) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.