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    Skull Lab Pt. 2 & 3: Conclusion

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    This document summarizes evidence that supports the evolutionary tree of human ancestors. Skull shape, sagittal crests, tooth size, and pelvis and leg bone structure all provide clues about diet and locomotion. Members of the genus Homo evolved larger brains and flatter faces, smaller teeth and crests, and fully bipedal body structures adapted for walking, unlike Australopithecus and Ardipithecus which spent time climbing trees. The Paranthropus branch is not in the direct human lineage due to traits like large crests and teeth adapted for a different diet and lifestyle. Fossil evidence shows these branches diverged and modern humans descended from Homo.

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    Skull Lab Pt. 2 & 3: Conclusion

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    This document summarizes evidence that supports the evolutionary tree of human ancestors. Skull shape, sagittal crests, tooth size, and pelvis and leg bone structure all provide clues about diet and locomotion. Members of the genus Homo evolved larger brains and flatter faces, smaller teeth and crests, and fully bipedal body structures adapted for walking, unlike Australopithecus and Ardipithecus which spent time climbing trees. The Paranthropus branch is not in the direct human lineage due to traits like large crests and teeth adapted for a different diet and lifestyle. Fossil evidence shows these branches diverged and modern humans descended from Homo.

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    skulllabpt 23 1

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    This document summarizes evidence that supports the evolutionary tree of human ancestors. Skull shape, sagittal crests, tooth size, and pelvis and leg bone structure all provide clues about diet and locomotion. Members of the genus Homo evolved larger brains and flatter faces, smaller teeth and crests, and fully bipedal body structures adapted for walking, unlike Australopithecus and Ardipithecus which spent time climbing trees. The Paranthropus branch is not in the direct human lineage due to traits like large crests and teeth adapted for a different diet and lifestyle. Fossil evidence shows these branches diverged and modern humans descended from Homo.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    19 views2 pages

    Skull Lab Pt. 2 & 3: Conclusion

    Uploaded by

    api-319106085
    This document summarizes evidence that supports the evolutionary tree of human ancestors. Skull shape, sagittal crests, tooth size, and pelvis and leg bone structure all provide clues about diet and locomotion. Members of the genus Homo evolved larger brains and flatter faces, smaller teeth and crests, and fully bipedal body structures adapted for walking, unlike Australopithecus and Ardipithecus which spent time climbing trees. The Paranthropus branch is not in the direct human lineage due to traits like large crests and teeth adapted for a different diet and lifestyle. Fossil evidence shows these branches diverged and modern humans descended from Homo.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 2

    Skull Lab pt.

    2 & 3
    Teagan Lee

    Keep, Stephanie. "Chewing on Human Evolution." NCSE. Science League of America, 9 Mar.
    2015. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

    Conclusion
    This human evolutionary tree can be supported by many pieces of evidence. The
    first of which is skull shape. Members of the homo group started evolving to have larger
    prefrontal cortexes. This meant that they were more intelligent. The other branches
    (paranthropus, australopithecus, and ardipithecus) never developed flat foreheads,
    instead, they had sloped back ones. The sagittal crest is also a key indicator of
    evolution because it reveals the types of food being eaten based on necessary jaw
    strength. This eliminates members of the Paranthropus branch from being direct human
    descendants, as they had large sagittal crests which homo sapiens lack. The size and
    shape of canine teeth is also linked with the diet of modern humans descendants.
    These teeth shrunk and became less sharp as the species evolved due to more skilled
    hunting and less reliance on sheer force to eat meat, thus eliminating direct relation to
    the Paranthropus branch (who had large teeth). A major part of human evolution is the
    switch from quadrupedal to bipedal. Some major indicators of this change in homo
    sapiens descendants are straight pelvises, longer/thinner femur, and 90 degree

    foramen magnums. The Australopithecus and Ardipithecus branches partially developed


    these features but never fully converted to bipedalism. They split their time between
    walking and being in the trees, unlike the members of the homo branch. The homo
    branch is composed of descendants with elongated femurs, shorter arms, and skulls
    that sat at 90 degrees to the spine meaning they were bipedal and spent no time in the
    trees or knuckle walking. All of this evidence can be seen from these species fossils
    and proves that the four branches developed differently and modern humans are part of
    the homo branch.
    Works Cited
    "Human Family Tree." The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program. The Smithsonian,
    21 Apr. 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

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