Name: ________________________________________________________ Period: ________ Date: ________
Hominid Skull Lab
Purpose: In this lab, you will investigate and evaluate evolutionary relationships by examining skulls of living and
extinct human relatives. In doing so, you will:
1.
2.
3.
Become familiar with the different tools and techniques used in paleo-anthropological studies.
Analyze important morphological features and determine their importance in predicting evolutionary
relationships.
Use data collected to create a phylogenetic tree (family tree).
Materials: Hominid skulls, ruler, calipers, protractor, human evolution chart, computer with Microsoft Word and
Excel
Part 1: Gathering your data
Observations and measurements:
1.
2.
Review Descriptions and Basis for Measurement handout.
Complete Human Evolution Data Chart.
a. Write “N/A” for any measurement that cannot be taken, e.g. if a jaw bone is missing teeth, etc.
Part 2: Analyzing your data
Graphing your data in Excel: You are going to be creating two graphs using a template and then inserting the
graph into your lab report.
Cranial Volume data
1. Go to Teacher folder. Open “Data for Graphs” document.
2. Insert data for Cranium Volume and then highlight the entire yellow box
3. Select “Sort/filter” from the toolbar. Sort from smallest to largest
4. Select “insert” from the toolbar. Select Column Chart and a graph appears that should be sorted
from small-large!
5. Copy as picture and paste into your lab report AFTER the instructions sheets
Facial Slope data
1. See #1-5 for cranium volume data
SAVE YOUR DOCUMENT IN YOUR STUDENT FOLDER AND ON YOUR FLASHDRIVE!!!
Part 3: Interpreting and drawing conclusions
Analysis and Conclusion Questions:
Following your graphs, you will answer the following analysis questions. Your typed responses must be completely
original. This means you may NOT COPY any part of another student’s work.
Answer the following analysis questions using complete sentences and your DATA. Elaborate on all answers. This is
your analysis of the data you have collected in the lab; therefore, each response should be a detailed and accurate
discussion of the data. A full paragraph (5 or more sentences) should be written for each question. The question must
be included in each answer.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Discuss the data shown on BOTH of your bar graphs. Explain what inferences you can make about the age of the skulls
based on the data shown.
Based on your DATA (not based on how they look), which skull do you think probably has the best chance of being the
common ancestor shared by humans and all other hominids (Which one is “Lucy”)?
Which specimens are more ape-like (genus: Australopithecus), and which are more human-like (genus: Homo)? You should
list all of the skulls , but pick a few to go into more detail, including specific examples of physical traits.
Explain what is meant by bipedalism. Then, explain what the foramen magnum is and how it can be used to determine if an
animal is bipedal or not. In addition, what other skeletal clues can help paleo-anthropologists to determine bipedalism
(something OTHER THAN the skull)?
Is it absolutely necessary to have a 100% complete fossil specimen to explain how it evolved? Explain why or why not, and
give examples.
Phylogenetic Tree (Family Tree):
There are many different hypotheses about hominid evolution. Therefore, there are different possible ways to explain
their evolution in a phylogenetic tree (also known as a family tree), and we may not ever know which way is 100% correct.
Your job is to illustrate the evolutionary path of hominids based on your observations during this lab. Try to use the
information depicted on your graphs, showing changes from more primitive hominids to more modern. Also, try to use
some (or all) of the other characteristics that you did not graph to help you decide on the “correct” evolutionary
relationships.
1.
Open the “Family Tree” document and use it as a template to organize your tree. The tree should be grouped into
one item and then copied and pasted onto the next page of your write-up (immediately after the analysis questions).
a.
b.
c.
2.
The tree must include each skull you observed during this lab, arranged from more primitive to more modern.
The tree should NOT be linear (a single straight line); it SHOULD include different branches to show common ancestry.
It should take up a whole page of your Word document.
On the page following your family tree, you will write a thoughtful discussion, explaining your tree’s design.
Please address the following questions in your discussion:
a.
b.
c.
Why did you arrange the hominids the way you did?
What specific data did you use to come to such a conclusion? Cite
examples (make reference to particular skulls and measurements) that
help to support the sequence of your family tree.
How are measurements of closely related skulls similar? How are they different?
Format of your final lab write-up:
Your entire Word document should be formatted in 12-point Times New Roman font with 1-inch
margins and 1.5 spacing. SEE THE RUBRIC FOR THE OVERALL REQUIREMENTS!
Your write-up will include the following parts, in this order:

Title page

Hominid Skull lab procedure and conclusion pages

Data table (hand this in to Mrs. Fugate the day it is due)

Cranium Volume and Facial Slope Graphs (2 on one page)

Analysis and Conclusion responses

Family Tree and Explanation
Remember, the data table and graphs
are the only parts of your write-up that
may be identical to your lab partners’.