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  • Essay / Homo Habilis, better known as the "handyman" - 699

    Homo habilis, better known as the "handyman", is one of the first species to diverge into the genus Homo. The increase in skull size (average cranial capacity of approximately 610 cc) accompanied by the complexity and reduction of the face (Poirer, 2005) are two characteristics that appear for the first time in Homo habilis and are unique by compared to previous genera such as Australopithecus. Found remains of Homo habilis generally date from the late Pliocene, 1.7 to 2.5 million years ago (2005) and include OH 62. OH ​​62, Homo habilis, is a fossil dating back to 1.8 million years ago, founded by Tim White in 1986 at the Olduvai Gorge site in Tanzania (Johanson, 1996; Ruff 2009; Walker, 1993). Olduvai Gorge has been a popular site for the discovery of not only the remains of australopithecus species, but also the remains of hominid species. At the site, 302 fragmented bone pieces of cranial and post-cranial remains were found and are the first remains found where upper and lower limb fragments of Homo habilis are associated with an individual (Ash, 2011; Dunsworth 2002 ;Walker, 1996; By bringing together 32 parts of the found bone, the maxilla began to represent Homo habilis, with more graceful and orthognathic characteristics (compared to Australopithecus) and maintained greater alveolar prognathism (Poirer, 2005) compared to modern man. While the upper jaw appeared to represent a Homo habilis fossil, the remaining bone fragments sparked debate over whether it belonged to taxonomic group OH 62. At the site were parts of the skull, the proximal half of the femoral shaft left and cervix were found, as well as a small proximal portion of the right tibia, most of the right humeral shaft, the right radial shaft, and most of the ulna. (Ash, ...... middle of paper ...... e the known long length of the arms in relation to the legs, we can assume that OH 62 was still capable of living arboreally and continued to feed Thanks to this behavior, it can be assumed that OH 62 continued to feed in the trees to gather food and protect itself from other predators (Line, 2005; Poirer, 2005; Wood, 1999). fossil record, supporting the understanding of human evolution and the beginning of hominid divergence Not only do the limb proportions of OH 62 explain the nature of bipedalism in early hominids, they show a transition from australopithecines. until the beginning of Homo, the length of the femur being only an estimate, the taxonomic group status of OH 62 will continue to be a subject of debate, but for the moment, OH 62 will remain in the genus Homo habilis..