Major Discoveries About Human Ancestors
Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff 
Living and extinct human beings and their near-human ancestors are called âhominidsâ and belong to the Hominidae family of primates. They should not be confused with âhominoids,â which belong to the Hominoidea superfamily of primates and include apes and humans. Scientists theorize that the human and ape lines branched off from a common ancestor 8 million to 6 million years ago.
| Years ago | Species | Discovered | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1.8 million | Homo erectus | 2007 Dmanisi, Georgia | May reveal how early humans moved out of Africa |
| 3.5-4.1 million | Au. anamensis | 2006 in the Afar desert, Ethiopa | The missing link in evolution between Australopithecines and earlier Ardipithecus |
| 5.8â5.2 million | Ardipithecus ramidus kadabba | 1997â1998 in Alayla, Ethiopia | May be oldest-known human ancestor. About the size of modern chimpanzees, or 4 ft tall standing. May have walked upright |
| c. 4.4 million | Ardipithecus ramidus ramidus | 1994 in Aramis, Ethiopia | Similar to A. ramidus kadabba |
| c. 4.2 million | Australopithecus anamensis | 1995, two sites at Lake Turkana in Kenya: Kanapoi and Allia Bay | Possible ancestor of A. afarensis (Lucy). Walked upright |
| c. 3.2 million | Australopithecus afarensis | 1974 at Hadar in the Afar triangle of eastern Ethiopia; Laetoli, Tanzania | Nicknamed âLucy.â Her skeleton was 3.5 ft (100 cm) tall. Had apelike skull. Walked fully upright. Lived in family groups throughout eastern Africa |
| c. 2.5 million | Australopithecus africanus | 1924 at Taung, northern Cape Province, South Africa | Descendant of âLucy.â Lived in social groups |
| c. 2 million | Australopithecus robustus | 1938 in Kromdraai, South Africa | Was related to A. africanus |
| c. 2 million | Homo habilis (âskillfulâ or âhandy manâ) | 1960 in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania | First brain enlargement; is believed to have used stone tools |
| c. 1.8 million | Homo erectus (âupright manâ) | 1891 at Trinil, Java, Indonesia | Brain size twice that of australopithecine species. âJava Manâ may have been a direct ancestor of Homo sapiens or instead developed on a separate evolutionary track. He is the first hominid to use fire and the hand ax |
| c. 195,000 | Homo sapiens sapiens (âknowing or wise manâ) | Discovered in 1964 (dated 2005) at Omo Kibish, Ethiopia | The Omo skull fossils are the oldest-known anatomically modern humans |
