Homo habilis


Homo habilis

The Eastern African specimen: Homo habilis represents a pivotal phase in hominid evolution. Scientists have marked habilis as the beginning of the Homo line, where hominids are recognized as breaking off from the australopithecine classification. A large part in making the determination of where the beginning of the Homo line were to take place had much to do with the level of encephalization taking place in H. habilis, as it is with habilis that we begin to see strong movements toward a modern brain size. Homo habilis broke through into science in the early 1960's with the discovery of the OH 7 (the habilis type specimen) fossil at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania by Louis Leakey and collegues. The existence of Homo habilis is currently dated to between 1.9 and 1.6 million years.

The Fossils:

From Hadar, Ethiopia:

	AL 666-1 Maxilla ~Found by William Kimball at Hadar ~Dated to 2.3 million years picture and reference credit

From Koobi Fora, Kenya:

	KNM-ER 164 Fragment of Left Parietal ~Like belongs to H. habilis, possibly an Australopithecine though

	KNM-ER 731 Mandible Fragment ~Discovered by K. Kimeu at Ileret ~Specimen has severe peridontal disease ~Is classified here as habilis because of its gracile appearence is rather a shot in the dark

	KNM-ER 739 Right Humerus ~By H. Mutua

	KNM-ER 817 Mandible Fragments ~Especially difficult to identify, this specimen has been placed under the general categorization of Homo

	KNM-ER 992 (a-d) Mandible ~By B. Ngeneo in 1972, at Ileret, Kenya

	KNM-ER 1472 Right Femur ~By J. M. Harris in 1972, at Koobi Fora, Kenya

	KNM-ER 1474 Cranial Fragment ~Likely belongs to habilis, but also a less-likely candidate for Australopithecus

	KNM-ER 1481 (a-d) Lower Limbs of a Single Individual ~By J. M. Harris in 1972, at Koobi Fora, Kenya

	KNM-ER 1500 Fragments of Skeleton from Small Adult Individual By J. Kimengech in 1972 at Koobi Fora, Kenya

	KNM-ER 1501 Mandible Fragment ~By B. Ngeneo in 1972, at Koobi Fora, Kenya

	KNM-ER 1502 Mandible Fragment

	KNM-ER 1503 Proximal End of Right Femur ~By M. Muluila in 1972, at Koobi Fora, Kenya

	KNM-ER 1504 Distal Fragment of Right Humerus ~By M. Mbithi in 1972, at Koobi Fora, Kenya

	KNM-ER 1506 Mandible Fragment

	KNM-ER 1507 Mandible Fragment ~By N. Mutiwa in 1972, at Koobi Fora, Kenya

	KNM-ER 1805 Partial Cranium, Maxilla, and Mandible ~Date of discovery and the discoverer are unknown ~Dated to 1.7 million years picture credit

	KNM-ER 1808 Skeleton Fragments from an Individual ~By K. Kimeu in 1973 at Koobi Fora, Kenya

	KNM-ER 1813 Cranium ~Found in 1973 at Koobi Fora, East Turkana, in Kenya by K. Kimeu ~Dated to 1.8 million years picture credit

	KNM-ER 3228 Hip

	KNM-ER 3735 Fragmentary Adult Skeleton

	KNM-ER 3950 Mandibular Fragment ~Wavering as to place with Homo or A. boisei

	KNM-ER 3954 Mandible

	KNM-ER 5429 Mandibular Fragments

	KNM-ER 5877 Mandibular Fragment

	KNM-ER 7330 Maxilla and Cranial Fragments ~Some also consider placement amongst Australopithecus

From Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania:

	OH 7 Fragmentary Skull and Juvenile Mandible ~Found in 1960 by an assistant to L.S.B. Leakey at Olduvai ~Dated to 1.75 million years ~OH 7 is the type specimen for Homo habilis picture credit

	OH 8 Partial Foot ~Found in 1960 by an assistant to L.S.B. Leakey at Olduvai ~Dated to 1.75 million years

	OH 13 "Cindy" or "Cinderella" (Partial skull with upper and lower dentition) ~Found in 1963 by N. Mbuika at the site of Olduvai in Tanzania ~Dated to 1.7 million years picture credit

	OH 16 "George" ~Found in 1963 by Louis Leakey at the site of Olduvai in Tanzania ~Dated to 1.7 million years picture and reference credit

	OH 24 "Twiggy" ~Found in 1968 at Olduvai, Tanzania, by Paul Nzube ~Dated to between 1.75 - 2.0 million years picture credit

	OH 62 Collection of 302 Bone Fragments "Dik Dik Hominid" ~Found in 1986 by Don Johanson at Olduvai ~Dated to slightly less than 2.0 million years

From Swartkrans, South Africa:

	SK 847 Partial Cranium ~Discoverer is unknown, but found between 1949- 52 at Swartkrans ~Dated to between 1.5 - 2.0 million years

	StW 53 Partial Cranium ~Found in 1976 by A.R. Hughes at Sterkfontein ~Dated to between 1.5 - 2.0 million years


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A. ramidus ~ A. anamensis ~ A. afarensis ~ A. africanus ~ A. gahri ~ A. bahrelghazali ~ P. boisei ~ P. aethiopicus ~ P. robustus ~ H. habilis ~ H. rudolfensis ~ H. erectus ~ H. ergaster ~ H. antecessor ~ H. heidelbergensis ~ H. neanderthalensis ~ H. sapiens
Southern Africa ~ Eastern Africa ~ North Central Africa ~ Asia ~ Europe/Northwestern Africa

Steven Heslip ~ 2001 ~ heslipst@msu.edu