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4.3: Hominins

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    392905
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    About seven million years ago, the Hominini tribe split into two subtribes... the Panina and the Hominina. They are distinguished from each other by their size, brain size, dental features, and other characteristics. Hominina are characterized by bipedalism, increased brain size, tool use, and various environmental adaptations, social structures, and behavioral traits. The Panina subtribe eventually results in chimpanzees and bonobos, our closest living relatives. In this chapter, we explore the Hominina subtribe, which developed into a variety of genera and species, including humans and proto-humans.

    Here are a couple of things to note about vocabulary:

    • Homo and human mean the same thing.
    • The term modern human refers to the species Homo sapiens.
    • Proto-human or proto-homo refers to the non-Homo genera of the subtribe Hominina. In other words, it includes all species of Sahelanthropus, Orrorin, Ardipithecus, Australopithecus, Kenyanthropus, and Paranthropus.
    • Archaic-human or archaic-homo refers to the significant, pre-Homo sapiens species of the genus Homo. The term archaic homo is often used to refer to the following species:
      • Homo habilis: lived 2.4 to 1.4 million years ago and is associated with the Oldowan stone tool industry.
      • Homo erectus: lived 1.9 million years ago to about 100,000 years ago and is known for its advanced stone tool technology and adaptation to diverse environments.
      • Homo heidelbergensis: lived 600,000 to 200,000 years ago and is a transitional species exhibiting characteristics shared with both earlier and later hominin species.
      • Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthals): lived 400,000 to 40,000 years ago. Neanderthals exhibited unique morphological features, cultural practices, and genetic contributions to modern human populations.

    Refer to the Taxonomic Hierarchy of Hominina Subtribe Genera and Species with Characteristics chart as you review the species.

    clipboard_e1a649d8296385a1b7fc5d67b7867e35c.pngTaxonomic Hierarchy of Hominina Subtribe Genera and Species with Characteristics

    4.3: Hominins is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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