Instructions
To use: Select a human ancestor from the tree, then go through the categories and drag the correct attributes over to build up each profile.
Credits
Site
Brandon Sprague
Original Concept
Design - Tyler Hoew
Programming - Alan Kwan
Images from Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins by Carl Zimmer, HarperCollins Publishers, 2005.
Early Hominids
Australopithecus
Paranthropus
Homo
10-5 million years ago
5-2 million years ago
2-1 million years ago
Less than 1 million years ago
Unknown
Less than 600 cubic cm
600-1200 cubic cm
Greater than 1200 cubic cm
Oldest known hominid
Early Bipedal
Lived in trees
Large chewing muscles
First stone toolmaker
Rugged physique
Human-like limb proportions
Dead-end branch
Endurance running