Homo Habilis is an extinct hominid. It began living in Africa about 2 million years ago and became extinct about 1.5 million years ago. Homo Habilis is believed to have coexisted with Australopithecus, which exceeded in height and cranial capacity: habilis was 600 cubic centimeters, while Australopithecus was around 500.
It is the first known species of the genus Homo. In its appearance and morphology, Homo habilis is the least similar to modern humans of all species in the genus (with the possible exception of Homo rudolfensis). Homo habilis had disproportionate and long arms compared to modern humans, yet it had a less protruding face than the australopithecines believed to have descended. Homo habilis had a cranial capacity slightly less than half the size of modern humans.
The main characteristics of Homo Habilis are:
- A rounded skull.
- There is no gap between the teeth.
- Incisors larger than Australopithecus.
- Short face.
- The fingers are curved, suggesting that it could continue to move through the trees.
- His arms are still a bit longer than us.
- They have a greater cranial capacity, from 600 to 650 cm3, probably due to feeding.
Homo Habilis' diet was omnivorous, it continued to feed like other hominids, such as Australopithecus afarensis, fruits and seeds, but it introduced a higher intake of animal fats and proteins into its diet. It could be said that from that moment he began to “think and invent”, having the ability to create tools and other tools.
Homo Habilis knows how to organize with other individuals of its species to hunt animals more effectively. His greater intelligence allows him to ask questions about his surroundings.
With a greater brainpower, he learns to cut stones into hunting weapons. These same tools can also be used to cut the hides of hunted animals. The invention of the stone tool is something revolutionary, since it allows you to take advantage of the carrion of other animals and this circumstance provides nutritional nutrients that improve the quality of life in general. The incorporation of stone tools was a first step for other, more sophisticated inventions.
By having a tool in his hands, homo habilis can already experiment with it. Through trial and error, it proves its usefulness. And if the utensil does not work, it can always be modified in some way until a really useful tool is achieved.
