A new species appeared in Africa around 1.8 mya. Called Homo erectus by some paleontologists, others refer to these hominins as Homo ________.
A) rudolfensis
B) heidelbergensis
C) ergaster
D) neanderthalensis

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

While some researchers use the term Homo erectus to refer to this species, others prefer to differentiate the African population from the Asian population of Homo erectus and use the name Homo ergaster specifically for the African specimens. Option A (rudolfensis) is a proposed species designation for some specimens found in Kenya, but it is not widely accepted. Option B (heidelbergensis) is a later species that appeared around 600,000 years ago in Africa, Europe, and possibly Asia. Option D (neanderthalensis) is a later species that appeared in Europe and western Asia, well after the appearance of Homo erectus/ergaster in Africa.

A New Species Appeared in Africa Around 1