A concise, bullet-pointed summary on Population Ecology. Covers strictly what you need to know for all tests and assessments (as dictated by the SAGS guidelines). Includes annotated diagrams and images to illustrate points mentioned, as well as additional research, helpful when understanding the wo...
Chloë van Beukering Hominid Studies Notes Life Sciences 2020
Hominid Studies
What are Hominids?
- Hominids are bipedal animals in the fossil record that have a mixture of ape-like and human-like
features
- The classification of hominids remains a matter of scientific debate
Hominid studies depend on:
1. Fossil remains
2. Genetic evidence (including mitochondrial DNA)
3. Study of human development
- Palaeontology is the study of fossils
- Archaeology is the study of human origins and development of human history e.g. tools and
artefacts
- Anthropology is the study of human cultures e.g. language
How does man differ from our closest relatives?
- Gorillas and chimpanzees are the closest living relatives of the human species
- During the course of 6-10 million years, the ape-like ancestor of the human and the chimpanzee
evolved certain traits that made it distinguishably human
These are:
1. The development of bipedalism
- The human ancestor, Australopithecus, walked upright using two limbs
- They were bipedal
- They probably didn’t walk like modern man, and probably alternated between trees and the
ground
- Many different reasons have been given for the evolution of bipedalism and an upright posture
including:
- Freeing the hands for carrying foods, tools or weapons
- Improved vision especially to see over tall grass on the plains
- Reducing the exposure of the body to the hot sun (decreased surface area)
- Easier hunting and fighting
- Easier feeding from bushes and low branches
2. Opposable thumbs and shorter palms
- Allows humans to hold tools
3. Extremely large brains
- The size of the human brain equals approximately 1350cm cubed on average
- The brain of the Australopithecus africanus was only 450cm cubed on average
4. Long gestation period
- Humans have gestation period of approximately 40 weeks
5. Long dependency of young on parents
- Parental care for 18 years on average
6. Long lifespan
7. Highly evolved communication system
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