Human Evolution lab
Introduction to Paleoanthropology
Objectives:
• Learn about Primates, hominids and hominoids.
• Learn about cladistics and Phylogenies
• Create a human Phylogeny using the fossil
reproductions in lab by
– Collecting data from the skulls
– Learning significant characters for comparison
– Construct a cladogram from your data
• Observe how different conclusions may be made from
the same data set.
• View a video recreation of significant stages of human
evolution
Orangutan and Gorilla
Characters
1. Facial Slope Angle
2. Supraorbital Browridge (large, small, or
medium)
3. Forehead (large, small, or medium)
4. Sagittal Crest (absent, small, medium, or
large)
5. Foramen Magnum (rear or forward)
Brain case features
6. Cranial Module
7. Nasal Bones (arched or flat)
8. Prognathism (present or absent)
Facial features
9. Postorbital Constriction
10. Facial Width
11. Dental Arcade (Box, U, or intermediate)
12. Incisors (angled or vertical)
13. Canines (above or below)
14. Diastema (present or absent)
15. Tooth Row Length
Dental features
Geographic Regions and Ages of the
Fossils:
•
•
•
•
•
1- East Africa, 3.9-3.0 MYA
2 – East Africa, 1.9-1.7 MYA
3 – Africa, Asia, and Europe, 1.8 MYA-0.3 MYA
4 – East Africa, 2.3-1.6 MYA
5 – Europe and the Middle East (West Asia), 0.2 0.03 MYA
• 6 – Africa, Asia, and Europe, 0.6-0.1 MYA
• 7 – South Africa, 3.0-2.3 MYA
• 8 – Africa, Asia, and Europe (and later worldwide),
0.15 MYA-present
Australopithecus bosie & Homo
erectus
Neanderthal
FACIAL SLOPE
Facial
slope
Facial
slope
Supraorbital
bridge
Supraorbital
bridge
Forehead
Forehead
Sagittal crest
Foramen magnum
CRANIAL MODULE
Cranial Module- length
Cranial Module- depth
Cranial Module- width
Nasal bones - arched
Nasal bones - flat
Prognathism
Postorbital constriction
Facial width
Zygomatic arch
Shape of Dental Arcade
Canines - above chewing surface
Canines - below chewing surface
Incisors – angled out
Incisors- vertical
Tooth row length
2 premolars + 3 molars
Diastema – gap for long canine