Re: Hominid Family Tree

William Baird (wbaird@nmsu.edu)
14 Oct 1995 05:15:22 GMT

Okay. *whew* With the suggestions tossed thru by Alex, Debbie, & Jim,
here's what I've got...Someone made the comment that habilis is suggested
as being split into a couple different species other than just
rudolfensis and habilis. What are these? I'm also (this is going to
sound bad, but...) pleased that there was more bushiness involved with
teh Homo line. It seems to me that it was a lil strange that the
Australopithecine line was *SO* bushy and then there was the simply
straight line (as apparent according to the family tree (phylogeny?))
from habilis to sapiens. I guess I have another question. Has there
been any decsriptions of the habiline foot structure?

Will

*Version 1.4*
modifications made with the suggestions of Alex Duncan, Debbie Mckay, & Jim
Foley



Homo neandertalensis Homo sapiens sapiens
| |
| |
+----------+------------+
|
H. heidelbergensis
|
|
Homo erectus/ergaster
|
|
?

? ?
Homo habilis* Homo rudolfensis
| |
| |
? ?
?
A. africanus** A. boisei
| A. robustus |
| | |
| | |
A. afarensis | | A. aethiopicus
| ? | |
| | |
+--------------------------+-------+
|
?

?
Aridpithecus ramidus Australopithecus anamensis
| |
| ? |
+----------+----------+
?
^
^
|
? Pan Gorilla
| | |
| | +-------+
+----------+ |
Common Ancestor |
| |
+--------------------+
|

* May be reclassified as multiple species as it appears there was an 'explosive
radiation' at that point.

** Sorry if that this is confusing, but the ancestry of A. Africanus is in still
up in teh air and if it has decendents as well is still up in the air. A.
Africanus *MAY* be the ancestor of Homo....it may not too. :) A. Afarensis
may be its ancestor and it may not too....ditto for A. Afarensis being Homo's
ancestor. One thing is certain(IMO; *waits for that to be slapped down*),
though; that A Africanus couldn't have made the Laetoli (?sp?) foot prints based
on the Steinfork fossils.

*** Debbie Mckay suggested that Homo rudolfensis is actually more primitive
than H habilis. Alex Duncan notes that it's larger, and has other features
than distiguish it from habilis. It's also supposed to be a co-evolved
critter to H. habilis.

Questions? Comments?
Will Baird InterNet: wbaird@nmsu.edu chpwpbai@arriba.nm.org
#include disclaimer.h Web Page: http://essex.nmsu.edu/~scomputi/
Creator of the KU, "After All This Time", Jordanite, Ranma 1/2 Addict, & More
"The Creator made women to please the eye and trouble the mind" -RJ, tFoH