1. Physical changes in hominid characteristics and behavior over time.
Hominid Evolution
Physical changes in hominid characteristics and behavior over time.

2. Homo Sapiens Sapiens (modern man, present day)

3. Homo Sapiens sapien (modern man, older, found in czech republic)

4. Homo Sapiens sapien (modern man, cro-magnon, oldest found in France)

5. Homo sapiens rhodesiensis

6. Homo Sapiens neanderthalensis (Neandertal)

7. Homo erectus pekinensis (peking man)

8. Homo erectus modjokertensis

9. Paranthropus (Australopithicus) boisei

10. Homo habilis (handy man)

11. Australopithicus africanus (taung child, Mrs. Ples)

12. Sustralopithecus (Australopithicus) afarensis (lucy)

13. Pan Troglodytes (Chimpanzee)

14. Gorilla Gorilla (Gorilla)

15. General Trends in Hominid Evolution - Braincase
Smallest to largest: chimp, homo habilis, gorilla, a. africanus, S. afarensis, H erectus, neandertal, H.S. rhodesiensis, H. S. sapiens (cro-magnon to modern)
As hominids evolved, the braincase, in general got larger.

16. General Trends in Hominid Evolution – Sagital Crest
Sagital crest was largest in the gorilla, chimp, A. boisei, and H. erectus. By the time modern man evolved the sagital crest had disappeared.
The sagital crest anchors extremely large jaw muscles and is found in animals that eat very tough food such as branches, shrubs, tough leaves, nuts, barks etc.

17. General Trends in Hominid Evolution - Prognathism
In older species the prognathism sticks out farther, meaning a lesser angle. Chimp, gorilla, H. habilis, and S. afarensis show the smallest angle while H. sapiens sapiens has the steepest.
The greater the angle of prognathism, the weaker the jaw of the organism. This indicates that the diet of hominids got softer as the species evolved.

18. General Trends in Hominid Evolution – other features
As species evolved, the foramen magnum moved from the back of the skull to the center. This indicates that the species went from walking on 4 legs to two over time.
As species evolved, the supraorbital ridge went from large to small. This structure provides reinforcement to the skull to account for the pressure of large jaw/facial muscles flexing.
The similar number of teeth and dental formula indicate that all members that we looked at evolved from a common ancestor. The diet did not change very much over time.

19. Big Conclusions
Species that evolved at an earlier time had a harder diet than we do today. Older species ate nuts, bark, branches, and tough, woody stems. This is shown by larger sagital crest and supraorbital ridges, and lower prognathism angle. This indicates that early human ancestors lived in the forest and gradually migrated to open grasslands.

20. Big Conclusions cont.
This move from forest to savannah also favors a more upright posture. In an environment with tall grasses walking on 2 legs allows you to see over the grass and look out for predators.
The large canines on the chimp and gorilla are not for eating meat but rather they are used for fighting and sexual selection. Large teeth are more attractive and indicate good genes.