Knowra Homo habilis Homo habilis An extinct early human species known from eastern and southern Africa roughly 2.4 to 1.4 million years ago. Its fossils preserve evidence of an early stage in the genus Homo.
OH 7 : A fossil from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, comprising parts of a lower jaw, hand, and skull attributed to Homo habilis. Its jaw and hand formed the type specimen used to define Homo habilis.
Hominin : A member of the human lineage after its evolutionary split from the lineage leading to chimpanzees. Homo habilis is one species within the broader human evolutionary lineage.
Homo rudolfensis : An extinct early human species known from East African fossils, often dated to roughly 2 million years ago. Some fossils once assigned to Homo habilis are classified as this distinct species.
Homo habilis taxonomy : The classification debate over which early African fossils belong to Homo habilis and how many species they represent. The species’ boundaries remain disputed because its fossil sample varies substantially.
KNM-ER 1813 : A relatively complete Homo habilis skull found at Koobi Fora, Kenya, and dated to about 1.9 million years ago. Its small cranial capacity helped establish the range of variation assigned to the species.
Homo : A genus of primates that includes modern humans and several extinct human species. Homo habilis is an early member of this genus, whose boundaries have changed with new fossil interpretations.
Homo erectus : An extinct human species that lived across Africa and Eurasia for more than a million years. Its larger-bodied fossils overlap in time with Homo habilis and represent a different early Homo form.
Homo habilis brain size : The range and interpretation of cranial capacity estimates for fossils assigned to Homo habilis. Different skulls have fueled debate about variation within the species and its distinction from Homo rudolfensis.
KNM-ER 1470 : A fossil skull from Koobi Fora, Kenya, dated to about 1.9 million years ago and originally classified as Homo habilis. Its larger brain and broad face fueled debate over whether it belongs to Homo habilis or another species.
Oldowan : An early stone-tool industry characterized by simple flakes and cores, known from sites in Africa and beyond. Oldowan tools occur at sites associated with Homo habilis, though their makers are not securely identified.
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