HOMO HABILIS

2.3-1.5 million years

Homo Habilis, or “Handy Man”, is an extinct species of human. They are the earliest known
species of the Homo genus. They were the first to exhibit many human-like traits, such as using
tools and having a more complex brain.

CHARACTERISTICS:

 Homo Habilis stood just over a meter tall and had a larger brain and smaller teeth than its
relatives, the australopithecines. It had longer arms and a protruding lower face, traits that
are usually considered more basal in the hominin lineage.

LIFESTYLE:

 Homo habilis thrived primarily in grassland environments. Homo habilis lived in tiny
social groupings, maybe cooperating to produce tools and scavenge for food. They eat a
variety of items, such as fruits, vegetables, and meat, which they may have obtained by
hunting small game or scavenging.

POLTITICS:

 The adaptations of Homo habilis, such as tool use, diet, and habitat, are more important
than political or social systems, which appeared later with agriculture and complex
civilizations.

FOSSILS:

Homo Habilis fossils finds

 A selection of fossil finds associated with Homo Habilis. H. Habilis inhabited parts of
sub-Saharan Africa from roughly 2.4 to 1.5 million years ago

 KNM-ER 1813
is a complete skull of the Homo habilis species, found in East Africa's Turkana Basin and
Olduvai Gorge. It has a cranial capacity of 510 cubic centimetres, below the 600 cubic
centimetre cutoff. Despite being smaller than the average Australopithecus, KNM-ER
1813 shares similarities with other accepted Homo habilis specimens from Olduvai
Gorge, such as OH 24. The skull is slightly skewed on its left side due to pressures during
fossilization. KNM-ER 1813 was discovered a year after KNM ER 1470, leading to a
debate over the exact nature of Homo. KNM-ER 1813 was an individual with a small
brain, diminutive teeth, and face, likely a female fully mature at the time of death.

 OH-24 “Twiggy’
Twiggy, the oldest fossil skull found at Olduvai Gorge, is the most complete and the
oldest. The cranium was crushed flat and cemented with limestone. Despite initial little
value, scientist Ron Clarke reconstructed the skull, revealing a small cranial capacity.
The face is prognathic, similar to other H. habilis individuals but not as extensive as
earlier Australopithecus species. The specimen demonstrates the larger brain size and
reduced facial size typical of early Homo evolution. Twiggy's third molars erupted,
indicating she was an adult at death, but the molars show no signs of wear, suggesting she
likely died soon after eruption.

 OH 7 (Olduvai Hominid № 7)
also nicknamed "Johnny's Child", is the type specimen of Homo habilis. The fossils were
discovered on November 4, 1960, in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, by Jonathan and Mary
Leakey. This partial skeleton belongs to a boy and was selected as the ‘type specimen’ or
official representative of this species.

 OH 62
 a 1.8-million-year-old partial skeleton discovered in 1986 by Tim White in Olduvai
Gorge, Tanzania. These remains are thought to be those of a female because of their short
stature.

ARTIFACTS:

 The Oldowan is the oldest-known stone tool industry, dating back 2.5 million years.
Originating from Homo habilis, an ancestor of Homo sapiens, these tools are the earliest
evidence of cultural behavior. Found in Tanzania, they have been recovered from various
African locations, with the oldest site in Gona, Ethiopia. Oldowan technology is typified
by "choppers," stone cores with a sharpened edge used for cutting, chopping, and
scraping.