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paleoanthropology, genetics and evolution

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  • African Homo erectus

    Tue, 2011-11-08 00:14 -- John Hawks
    Synopsis: 
    African specimens from the Early Pleistocene are compared

    This station includes several casts of early fossil Homo erectus, from the Early Pleistocene of Africa. These include:

    • OH 9, from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, around 1.2 million years old.
    • KNM-ER 3733, from Ileret, Kenya, 1.65 million years old.
    • KNM-ER 3833, from Koobi Fora, Kenya, 1.6 million years old.
    • KNM-WT 15000, from Nariokotome, Kenya, 1.5 million years old.

    In addition to these specimens, the station has a few comparative casts from earlier hominid species and from other parts of the world.

    What to do: First, consider the issue of sexual dimorphism in these specimens. Which are male and which are female? What features lead you to that conclusion?

    Second, why are the differences between these specimens and Homo habilis, for example, KNM-ER 1813, reflective of a species distinction, instead of sex?

    Study terms: 
    Nariokotome
    Koobi Fora
    Ileret
    Lake Turkana
    Olduvai Gorge
    Tags: 
    Anthropology 105
    laboratory
    explainer
    Homo erectus
    Africa
    Kenya
    Tanzania
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