HUMAN EVOLUTION
HUMAN EVOLUTION
There are different views and concepts relating to human
evolution.
Like any other species human also evolved over millions year
ago.
The early stages of human ancestors are studied by means of
comparative anatomy of fossils and comparative biochemical
study.
Man has evolved from some non-human or ape like forms
Lived 20-24 million year ago
Jhomas Henry Huxely in 1863 first attempt to explain the
origin of man
Book “Man’s place in nature”
Charles Darwin in 1871 published his idea regarding the
man’s ancestry
“The descent of man”
He suggested man has evolved from ape like ancestors
Large no of fossils were found ie ape like creature
Prototherians - the primitive mammals that layed eggs
Evolved from therapsid reptile in triassic period of mesozoic
era
Regarded as ancestors of mammals
Eutherians arose during cretaceous period of mesozoic era
About 65 million years ago (m.y.a.), primates evolved from
the early mammal.
Binocular vision, developed brain nails on digits, good eye
and hand coordination
Tree shrew, Tarsiers, Lemures were diverse from the
primates
have long snout with long and busy tail, insectivorous
which have binocular vision and grasping hands and feet.
Thereafter 36 m.y.a. anthropoid evolved from primates.
They were ancestors of monkey, ape and man.
From the primates new world monkey diverged about 50
m.y.a.
The nose of the new world monkey was very flat, nostrils
were directed upward, and tail is long and prehensile.
Later 24 m.y.a., the hominid evolved from anthropoids.
The hominids were ancestors of man and ape.
About 25 to 30 m.y.a. from the anthropoids, old world
monkey diverged.
The old world monkey's nose is raised, the nostrils directed
downward and the tail is short and non-prehensile.
Nearly about 10 million year ago gibbons, 8mya orangutan
and 4mya gorilla and 2-3 mya chimpanzee were diverged
from hominids
Ramapthecus 10- 14 mya
About 5 mya - Australopitheecus – A. africanus and A.
robustus ( extenct)
2mya – homo habilis
1.5 mya homo erectus – Neanderthal (70,000- 40,000ya)
and cromagnon man (34000ya)
Modern man 10,000ya.
Difference between new world monkey and
old world monkey
New world monkey (Platyrrhini) Old world monkey( Catarrhini)
Nose flat and nostrils are outwardly directed Nose is narrow and nostrils are down wardly
directed
Tail is long and prehensile for grasping Short and non-prehensil tail
Limbs are not used for grasping Limbs are used for grasping
36 teeth 32 teeth
Less developed brain Brain is well developed
Native to south america Native to Asia and Africa
Marmoset, spidermonkey etc Baboons, Proboscis monkey etc
Difference between Man and Apes
Apes Man
Small cranial capacity Gibbon (100 cc) Much larger cranial capacity about 1600cc
Orangutan ( 395 cc) Champanzee (400 cc)
Gorilla (520cc)
Occipetal condyles posterior Occipital condyles anterior
Have semi erect posture Have a fully erect posture
Arms are longer than legs Legs are longer than arms
Simian gap is present Simian gap is absent
Body hair is long and coarse Body hair is short and soft
Face like prognathus Face like orthognathus
Chin distinct Chin distinct
Apes and men belongs to the super family Hominoidea
because of having similar characters as
i. Biocular vision
ii. Absence of tail
iii. Enlarged brain
iv. Menstrous cycle in female
v. Larged sized head
vi. Broad chest and flat sternum
Evolutionary trend
Changes and modification occuredin the ancestor of modern man
in order to evolve modern man
These are as follows
1. Attainment of erect posture
2. Development of bipedal locomotion
3. Increase in brain size and intelligence
4. Reduce the size of fore limb
5. Reduction in size of incisors and canines
6. Formation of chin
7. Reduction of brow ridges
8. Narrowing of nose
9. Reduction of body hair
Systematic Position of Man
Kingdom – Animalia
Phylum – Chordata
Subphylum – Vertebrata
Division – Gnathostomata
Superclass - Tetrapoda
Class – Mammalia
Order – primates
Suborder – Anthropoidea
Series - Catarrhini
Family Hominidae
Genus – Homo
Species – Sapiens
Sub species - Sepiens
Prehuman fossils ( Ape like fossils)
Hominids are ape like fossils.
Existed on the earth about 20-24 million years ago
Procunsul are ape like fossils found in Lake Victoria
Legs were resembled with human
Face was like that of ape
Walks on four limbs
More nearer to ape
Dryopithecus
Also found in africa
It is another ape like fossil which resemble to Proconsul.
Face was flat
Probably walked in ape like manner
Give rise to origin of human
FOssils of Ancient humans
Ramapithacus and Sivapithecus evolved from the hominids
at about 10-14 million years ago.
They were earliest ancestors of man.
The Ramapithecus was found in Asia and Africa.
The Sivapithecus was found in Asia.
First fossil record was found in mid 1930 which included
curved jaw with an arched palate in northern siwalik hill of
india
Its tooth was found in Butwal of Nepal.
The tooth was 9-9.5 million year old
Preserved in the Natural history museum
Little information is known about them
Characteristic features
It had smaller and delicate jaws
Lived on trees and walked erect
Diet include seed and nut
Small canine and flattened molar
Australopithecus
Evolved from the Ramapithecus and Sivapithecus.
They were first human like animal.
Lived in dry open grassland of africa about 5million years ago
Characteristic features
Their brain capacity was 400 – 600 cc.
walked erect and had long sized canine and incisors
about 4 ft tall and 40 – 50 Kg in weight
Protruded face without chin
Used weapons of bone
Fossil evidence suggests that there were two species of
Australopithecus i.e. A. africanus and A. robustus.
It is believed that A. robustus remained unchanged and thus
became extinct,
while A. africanus continued to change and modify till the
evolution of modern man.
Homo habilis (Handy man)
First fossil of the human genus Homo
Existed in africa about 2 – 3.5 million years ago
First fossil was discovered by dr. Louis Leaky
Characteristic features
having cranial capacity about 700 cc,
4.5 ft tall and weight of about 40-50 Kg.
Made sharp tools for hunting and defense hence called tool
maker
Led community lives in caves
Homo erectus ( Erect man)
Homo erectus came to evolutionary scene about 1.7 m.y.a.
in two forms i.e. Java man (Homo erectus erectus) from Dubai
and Pecking man (Homo erectus peckinensis) from China.
Java man (Homo erectus erectus or pithecanthropus
erectus)
Fossils were recorded from bank of solo river in java
Cranial capacity of about 750-900cc
Having large jaws and flat nose like apes
Omnivorous in feeding
Made tools of stone for hunting and defense
Learnt to light fire
Led community lives in caves
Pecking man (Homo erectus peckinensis
Also called Sinanthropus pekinensis
Fossils were discovered from rocks of central peking china
Similar to java man but had undeveloped chin
Having cranial capacity of about 850-1200cc
Used refined tools
Mainly big game hunters
Lernt use fire for different purposes
Heidelberg man
The fossil of Heidelberg man (Homo heidelbergensis) was
found in Germany
they were about a million year old
They had 1250 cc cranial capacity.
Even though Heidelberg man is not considered to be the
direct evolutionary line of modern man but it is believed that
it might have evolved into Neanderthal man.
Neanderthal man (Homo sapiens
neandearthalensis)
Neanderthal man was found first in Neanderthal Valley of
Germany and later in europe, africa, and west asia
First modern man like structure existed 70 to 40 thousand
years ago
Characteristics features
They had cranial capacity of 1450 cc,
weighing about 70 Kg
5 ft tall and body is heavily built
Used fire for cooking and protection
Used refined tools for hunting and defense
used animal skin for clothing
They built hut for living and started social life
Learnt to burry dead
Believed to become extinct due to the cold weather or tough
competition
Some others have openion that cro-magnons may have killed
the neanderthals
It is also possible that the two groups interbred and the
neanderthals lost their identity
Cro-magnon man (Homo sapiens fossilis)
Cro-magnon man was evolved from Homo erectus about 34,000 years
ago.
Their fossils were recovered from Cro-magnon rock of France.
The Cro-Magnon man was like modern man.
Characteristics
Great hunters and used stone tools, weapons, spears and arrows
They were dweller and left behind beautiful pictures in the wall of cave
These panting are still presented in spain and france
They had 1600 cc cranial capacity with 5 ft height,
having prominent chin, broad or flat forehead, raised nose, superior
intelligence.
In the course of evolution the climate was changed as this present
warm age and they are believed to have been evolved to modern man.
The modern man (Homo sapiens sapiens)
The modern man evolved about 10,000 years ago from the Cro-Magnon
man.
It spreads all over the globe and become a dominating species
Characteristics
They were also hunter at the beginning
They domesticated animals, learnt to plant crops, store food
They have plenty of leisure times which was used to develop culture social
system, religion, politics etc
Used their hand for skilled work, creat new things and to write
Hand and brain made the man a super animal and to dominate the biological
world today
They have cranial capacity of 1400-1450 cc.
Brought about the Cultural Revolution in human civilization with their superior
intelligence.
In this way modern human evolved.
