The Human Family Tree - Ardipithecus Group

 The Ardipithecus Group of Human Ancestors

The earliest humans are our closest link to other primates. They evolved in Africa and took the first steps toward walking upright. The Ardipithecus group refers to the progenitors of modern humans who are most closely linked to monkeys. These early humans have many traits with apes, but they also have distinctive traits that are more in line with human characteristics.

See how the evolution of humans began by reading about some of the earliest human ancestors in the species listed below:

1. Sahelanthropus tchadensis

Discovery Date: 2001

Where Lived: West-Central Africa (Chad)

When Lived: Sometime between 7 and 6 million years ago

OVERVIEW:

One of the earliest species in the human ancestry is known as Sahelanthropus tchadensis. In West-Central Africa (Chad), this species existed between 7 and 6 million years ago . This species may have been able to live in a variety of settings, including as meadows and woodlands, thanks to upright walking. Sahelanthropus only has skull material, but research suggests that this creature possessed a mix of human and ape-like characteristics. Small brain (even somewhat smaller than a chimpanzee's), sloping face, very noticeable browridges, and elongated skull were among the ape-like characteristics. Small canine teeth, a short middle section of the face, and a spinal cord opening beneath the skull rather than toward the rear, as in non-bipedal apes, were among the human-like characteristics.

2. Orrorin tugenensis

Nickname: Millenium Man
Discovery Date: 2001
Where Lived: Eastern Africa (Tugen Hills, central Kenya)
When Lived: Sometime between 6.2 and 5.8 million years ago

OVERVIEW:

Orrorin tugenensis, one of the oldest early humans on our family tree, lived about 6 million years ago. This species' members possessed small teeth with thick enamel, comparable to modern humans, and were about the size of chimpanzees. The most significant relic of this species is an upper femur that reveals indications of bone development typical of a biped, indicating that Orrorin tugenensis individuals likely walked upright on two legs while simultaneously climbing trees.

3. Ardipithecus kadabba

Discovery Date: 1997
Where Lived: Eastern Africa (Middle Awash Valley, Ethiopia)
When Lived: Between about 5.8 and 5.2 million years ago

OVERVIEW:

In addition to being bipedal (walked upright), Ardipithecus kadabba had canines that resembled those of later hominins but still extended beyond the tooth row. Its body and brain were probably similar in size to those of a modern chimpanzee. Only a small number of post-cranial bones and sets of teeth from this early human species have been found in the fossil record. A big toe bone has a broad, robust look that suggests it was used in bipedal push-off.

4. Ardipithecus ramidus

Nickname: Ardi
Discovery Date: 1994
Where Lived: Eastern Africa (Middle Awash and Gona, Ethiopia)
When Lived: About 4.4 million years ago
Height: Females: average 3 ft 11 inches (120 centimeters)
Weight: Females: average 110 lbs (50 kg)

OVERVIEW:

The existence of Ardipithecus ramidus was initially noted in 1994; in 2009, a fragmentary skeleton known as "Ardi" was revealed. It is yet unknown what this skeleton's foot bones, which show a diverging huge toe and a rigid foot, represent in terms of bipedal locomotion. According to claims, the pelvis, which was rebuilt from a crushed specimen, demonstrates adaptations that combine bipedal movement and tree-climbing. The researchers contend that the 'Ardi' skeleton represents a non-chimpanzee common ancestor for humans and African apes. There is extremely little size variation between men and females of this species, according to a good sample of canine teeth from the species.

The discovery of Ardi's fossils with faunal remnants suggests that she lived in a woodland area. The open savanna idea, which contends that humans first learnt to walk upright when climates grew drier and settings more open and grassy, is in conflict with this.

READ MORE ABOUT OTHER HUMAN ANCESTOR GROUPS:

1. Australopithecus group

2.Paranthropus Group

3. Homo Group

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