Deck 6: Early Hominids in Africa: Australopithecus and Homo Habilis

Question 1

"Super sweating" had to evolve before bipedal hominids could be successful.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

What happened to the spine when some quadruped group evolved to bipeds?

A) it got shorter
B) it got longer
C) it evolved two curves
D) two more vertebrae evolved in the neck area

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Of the following, which best describes a hominid's foot? It is a

A) grasping organ
B) walking platform
C) flexible hand
D) long toed hand

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What new form of thermoregulation had to evolve before bipedal hominids could be successful?

A) warm bloodedness
B) sweating
C) vasioconstriction
D) more blood to head

Question 5

Where are australopithecine sites clustered?

A) along the Rift Valley in East Africa
B) South African cave sites
C) randomly in all areas of East and South Africa
D) both A and B are correct

Question 6

Describe bipedal walking from a motionless state to walking. What actually happens?

Question 7

What happens to knees from the quadrupedal to bipedal position? Draw a picture of pelvis to knee to feet for both.

Question 8

What role does a new kind of thermoregulation play in the hypothesis that bipedalism evolved to take advantage of small patchy food resources?

Question 9

Discuss Coppen's evidence for his hypothesis "the East Side Story" of hominid bipedalism.

Question 10

Discuss the Laetoli footprints: how old are they and of what importance are they?

Question 11

Discuss several reasons why the first Australopithecus africanus (Taung) was not fully accepted by scientists as being in our lineage.

Question 12

What do scientists think happened to the australopithecines (other than the fact that they became extinct)?

Question 13

Start with the skull and go to the toes, describing the major changes that took place between quadrupedalism to bipedalism in hominid anatomy.

Question 14

Discuss two of the early hypotheses concerning the origin of bipedalism along with a critique of why they are not likely the cause (but may be an effect) of bipedalism.

Question 15

Discuss the bioenergetic/thermodynamics hypothesis of bipedalism, using environmental context of 8 and 6 myr ago.

Question 16

Contrast the gracile and robust australopithecines. What are the basic anatomical differences and what was the likely cause of those differences?