Homo Habilis
By: Alex S., Brook, Dominic, Jordan R.
Introduction
• Follow us on our journey to a time 1.5 million
years ago as we step into the time machine
and learn how the Homo Habilis lived. You
will learn what they ate, wore, and where
they lived and more.
Food
• Homo Habilis hunted for some of their food
and they gathered other food. They ate fruit,
berries, birds, nuts, leaves, roots, and eggs
they found. They carved and made all of their
tools to cut the meat with. They broke open
the animals’ bones and ate the marrow that
was in the bones. To catch their prey, they
crept up on the animal, and the whole group
pounced on the creature.[1]
Dates and Places of Existence
• Homo Habilis went extinct about two
million years ago. They lived in the east
and south of Africa. They also lived in the
south of Asia near the Pacific Ocean.[2]
Physical Appearance
The female Homo Habilis weighed around 70
lbs. and their height was an average of four to
three and a half feet tall. The males were
slightly taller than the female and weighed
more than the female.[3]
• Homo Habilis weren’t able to make fire. This
species had to wait until they found
something burning from natural causes such
as a lightning strike. Homo Habilis had to keep
a close eye on the campfire because if it went
out, they didn’t know how to start it again.[4]
Tools
• Homo Habilis carved and used stones for
tools. To kill animals, they used sticks and
stones. They would sharpen their tools with
any rock or wood they could find. To get the
marrow out of the bones of their prey, they
would smash the bone against something
hard.[5]
Daily Life
• Homo Habilis were gatherers. They were also
hunters and scavengers. They used rocks to kill
animals. They couldn’t kill a lot of animals
because they were too big. Homo Habilis
were the first group of early humans to create
and use tools.[6]
Shelter
• Homo Habilis lived in small huts made out of
sticks, rocks, and mud. The rocks were used to
hold the sticks in place. The mud was used to
hold the rocks in place. Their huts were
shaped like domes. The Homo Habilis also
lived under cliffs.[7]
Language
• Homo Habilis did not use words to speak.
Unlike Australopithecus, they used their hands
and their simple voices to communicate. [8]
Homo Habilis communicated much better
than Australopithecus. {[9]8]
Paintings and Carvings
• Scientist believe that Homo Habilis didn’t do
any paintings or carvings. [10]
Conclusion
• As we go back into the time machine and
travel back to the present, we hope you
learned interesting things about Homo Habilis
and how they lived their lives.
Questions
• Did Homo Habilis have any religion or
ceremonies?
• Did the Homo Habilis wear clothes and why?
• Why did Homo Habilis have to keep a close
eye on their campfire?
Answers
• No, Homo Habilis had neither any religion nor
any ceremonies.
• Homo Habilis didn’t wear clothing because
their bodies were so hairy it already kept them
warm.
• Homo Habilis had to keep a close eye on the
fire because if it burned out they didn’t know
how to start it again.
Endnotes
1. http:// earlyhumans.mrdonn.org/tools.html.
2. Ibid.
3. http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/humanfossils/species/homo-habilis.htm.
4. Ibid.
5. http://cartage.org.lb/en/themes/science/lifescience/physicalathropology/prehistoricman/homohabilis/homohabilis.htm
6. A Day With Homo Habilis, pg.4
7. http://www.kidspast.com/worldhistory/0009-homo-habilis.php
8. http://earlyhumans.mrdonn.org/tools.html
9. http://eclectrica.org/v10n4/
10.http://prezi.com/7ffqgxslb5tw/homo-habilis/
Bibliography
California Visits Ancient Civilizations. Macmillan/MacGraw Hill: New
York, NY, 2007.
Facchini, Fiorenzo. “A Day with Homo Habilis.Twenty-First Century
Books: CT, 2003.
“Homo habilis.” Homo habilis. http://www.earlyhumans.mrdonn.org/.
• http://cartage.org.lb/en/themes/science/lifescience/physicalathropology/prehistoricman/homohabilis/homohabilis.htm.
• http://eclectrica.org/v10n4/.
• http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/homohabilis.htm.
• http://prezi.com/7ffqgxslb5tw/homo-habilis/.
Kearns, Marsha.“Homo Habilis.” Early Humans. Creative Teaching
Press: CA, 1993.