Becoming Human

Sahelanthropus tchadensis

(6-7 millions years old)

Found in Central Africa, this hominid has a body structure similar to apes today.

Australopithecus africanus

(2-3 million years old)

Found in Makapansgat, South Africa, this hominid has a body structure more similar to our build. It is small-bodied and has a pelvic characteristic to habitual bipeds.

  Paranthropus boisei

(2.3-1.4 million years old)

Found in East Africa, this hominid had features unique to themselves (usually large extremes of current structures), such as large cheekbones and large molars.

Homo habilis

(2.5-1.6 million years old)

One of the earliest Homo species, found in Kenya, Africa, this hominid had an unusually large brain, not unlike the brain in our species. It had a combination of ape-like and human-like traits in their body.

Homo neanderthalensis

(200 -28 thousand years old)

The skull of this hominid is very similar to our skulls, albeit its body structure is heavily built like some apes today.

The hominid  species which, for now, dates back to six million years ago has changed drastically over time. It begins with ape-like before the features become more narrow. The features, especially the cheekbones generally evolve to encompass a human-like skull. The cranium becomes much larger, most likely as the brain continued to evolve. Eventually, the hominid species became what we know today as homo sapiens.