12.

6 Primate Evolution
KEY CONCEPT
Humans appeared late in Earths history.
12.6 Primate Evolution

SC.912.L.15.10* Identify basic trends
in hominid evolution from early
ancestors six million years ago to
modern humans, including brain size,
jaw size, language, and manufacture
of tools. (MODERATE)
12.6 Primate Evolution
Common misconception
Humans are descended from Modern Apes
Correcting the misconception
Humans did not descend from modern apes.
Humans and African apes(gorillas and chimpanzees) descended
from a common ancestor that lived approximately 6-8 million
years ago.
The ancestors descendants diverged into two lineages: one
gradually evolved into gorillas; the other diverged into two lines,
again about 5 million years ago, one giving rise to the ancestors
of modern chimpanzees and the other leading to the early
hominids.

12.6 Primate Evolution
Humans share a common ancestor with other primates.
Primates are mammals with flexible hands and feet,
forward-looking eyes and enlarged brains.
12.6 Primate Evolution
Primates evolved into prosimians and anthropoids.
Prosimians are the oldest living primates.
They are mostly small and nocturnal.
12.6 Primate Evolution
They are subdivided into the New World monkeys, Old
World monkeys, and hominoids.

Anthropoids are humanlike primates.
Homonoids are
divided into
hominids, great
apes, and lesser
apes.
Hominids: primates
that walk upright
have long lower
limbs, and thumbs
that oppose and
larger brains
Hominids include
living and extinct
humans.

12.6 Primate Evolution
Bipedal means walking on two legs.
foraging
carrying infants and food
using tools
Walking upright has
important adaptive
advantages.
12.6 Primate Evolution
There are many fossils of extinct hominids.
Most hominids are either the genus Australopithecus or
Homo.
Australopithecines were a successful genus.
The Homo genus first evolved 2.4 million years ago.
12.6 Primate Evolution
Modern humans arose about 200,000 years ago.
Homo sapiens fossils date to 200,000 years ago.
Human evolution is influenced by a tool-based culture.
There is a trend toward increased brain size in hominids.
Australopithecus
afarensis
Homo habilis Homo
neanderthalensis
Homo sapiens
Brain volume:
430 cm
3

Brain
volume:
700 cm
3

Brain volume:
1500 cm
3

Brain volume:
1300 cm
3

4-3 MYA
2.4-1.5 MYA
200,000-30,000 Years Ago
200,000 Years Ago-
Present
12.6 Primate Evolution
First thought to use cruel stone tools
This is a skull of an adult Homo habilis male who lived
about 2 million years ago. The part of the skull pictured
here is about 5 1/2 inches tall. It was found at the Koobi
Fora site in Kenya.
Stone tools were found with skeletons
12.6 Primate Evolution
Our closest relative
Scientists have created a comparative map of
DNA sequences found in humans and
chimpanzees, our closest relative. The map
confirms previous estimates of the high degree
of genetic similarity between the two species.
In one of the largest comparisons of human
and chimpanzee genomic sequence to date,
the researchers calculated that the shared
sequences were 98.77 percent identical.
The researchers aligned some 77,000
chimpanzee DNA fragments to
corresponding segments of the human
genome sequence.