Homo habilis

Meaning of the name

H.habilis "handy man" - the first stone tools make him a human ancestor.

Discovery site

East Africa (Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi).

Age

2.4–1.4 million years

Height and weight

♂: 1.3 m, 50 kg 

♀: 1.0 m, 30 kg

Brain size

Brain volume between 510- 700 cm³, (larger than in australopithecines, but smaller than in later Homo species)

Body characteristics

Larger brain volume than in australopithecines, skull low but round and gracile, with prominent superciliary ridges, lower half of face slimmer, face relatively flat with small zygomatic bones, relatively long arms in relation to body size, well-developed thumb, short legs, foot with arched structure less adapted for climbing.

Teeth

Smaller and narrower molars, while incisors and canines are wide.

Habitat

Forests, savannahs and scrubland in East Africa.

Nutrition

Plant-based (fruits, leaves, roots, tubers, seeds and nuts), little animal food.

Tools and social behaviour

First use of simple stone tools, e.g. chipping tools and scree tools (Oldowan culture). First evidence of systematic tool use in human history.
Presumably living in small groups, communication possibly more complex than with earlier ancestors.

Best known find

The fossil OH 7 (called "Johnny's child") was discovered by Jonathan Leakey in autumn 1960. It is the 1.75 million year old, completely preserved, toothed lower jaw of a child.

Significance for evolution

Compared to the earlier Australopithecus and the Paranthropus living at the same time, Homo habilis had a brain volume of approx. 650 cm³, which was 30% larger.
The rather small teeth indicate a varied, possibly meat-based diet.
Homo habilis is traditionally regarded as one of the first hominid species to make tools. A large number of Oldowan tools have been found in the Koobi Fora region. It is assumed that Homo habilis used these tools to process food, possibly to cut meat from bones or to chop plants. The use of tools marks a significant evolutionary step in human evolution.
The combination of tool use and increasing brain capacity favoured cognitive development and adaptability.