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## Evolution ### Ape Men Including Prehistoric Men - **Australopithecus (First ape man)** - **Discovery:** Raymond Dart (1924), South African anthropologist, discovered the fossil of Australopithecus africanus (African Ape man) from Pliocene rocks near Tuang in Africa. - **Characteristics:**...

## Evolution ### Ape Men Including Prehistoric Men - **Australopithecus (First ape man)** - **Discovery:** Raymond Dart (1924), South African anthropologist, discovered the fossil of Australopithecus africanus (African Ape man) from Pliocene rocks near Tuang in Africa. - **Characteristics:** Australopithecines probably lived in East African grasslands. Australopithecus africanus had human as well as ape characters. They hunted with stone weapons but essentially ate fruit and they had an erect posture. It had human like teeth but it had more of an ape brain than a human brain. Its brain capacity was about 500 cc, similar to that of an ape. Brow ridges projected over the eyes. It did not have a chin. Australopithecus africanus gave rise to *Homo habilis*. Australopithecus africanus also gave rise to man-like apes called Australopithecus robustus and Australopithecus boisei. ### Evolution of the Human - **Homo Habilis (Able or Skillful Man, The tool maker, or ‘Handy Man’)** - **Discovery:** L.S.B. Leakey and his wife Mary Leakey (1960) discovered the fossils of Homo habilis from Pleistocene rocks in East Africa. - **Characteristics:** Homo habilis probably did not eat meat. Its brain capacity was between 650–800 cc. Homo habilis (habilis = mentally able or skillful) was the first tool maker and used tools of chipped stones extensively. It is also called *handy man* because of tools found with these fossils included sharpened stones which indicate that *Homo habilis* was capable of making tools. *There is a gap of about 9 to 10 million years in Ramapithecus and Australopithecus (to be described)*.