Homo habilis

Homo habilis

Collections
Museum of Anthropology
at Rowan University
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The homo habilis means “handy man”. They generally lived in Africa, specifically Eastern and Southern. They lived 2.4 to 1.4 million years ago. Paleoanthropologists have been unable to determine whether or not body size differed due to being male or female. This skull’s 15.9 cm, GOL. The BBH 12.1 cm. The average height is anywhere between 3’4” and 4’5”, a whole thirteen inch difference. Meanwhile, the average weight is 70 pounds. They were rather technologically advanced and are believed to have built the thousand plus stone tools found in the Olduvai Gorge.They’re more compact than their predecessor, Australopithecus, and considered the least like what we know humans to be today.

Based on their stone tools, weapons, and smaller but rather sturdy teeth, they most likely ate meat, herbs, plants, etc. However, their teeth were not strong enough to eat nuts or dried meats. Other evidence that leads scientists to believe they would eat meat is precision marking on animals bones. These cuts were most likely made by someone cutting into the animal, as if trying to clean the meat from the bones.