Paleo Pals
Hello my name is Homo habilis!
...But you can call me The Handy Man
I was found between 1962 and 1964 by Louis and Mary Leakey in a country on the east coast of Africa called Tanzania. After the first fossils of my kind were found, many more followed. From all this evidence, paleoanthropologist were able to learn more about my size, my diet, and my behaviors. My bones that they found are 2.33 to 1.4 million years old, and were found with Oldowan tools.
I am only about three and a half feet to four and a half feet tall, and on average I weighed about seventy pounds. Males were bigger than females which is called sexual dimorphism. My face is still prognathic meaning that it sticks out a bit. I also have very long arms, especially compared to the size of the rest of my body. My cranial capacity is only about half of yours (a modern human), but it could still hold more information that Australopithecus afarensis.
My Bones
Oldowan Tools
Oldowan tools were the first evidence for culture amongst modern human ancestors. These tools were called choppers and could be used to chop, cut, and scrape things. Pieces of stone were scraped off with another rock to make flakes, and the piece of rock left behind would be called a core.
My teeth were smaller than Australopitchesus's, but I still had thick enamel all around them. My heavy zygomatic arch, or cheek bone, makes it clear that my jaw was very strong. I might have used my tools to butcher animals, but my strong teeth helped me eat other things like leaves and tough wood fibers.
My Teeth
My foot had an arch on the bottom just like yours. I also showed evidence for having a robust big toe. This helped me walk on two feet, which is called bipedalism.
My Foot
The Discovery of Oldowan Tools
Sources
http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/origins/homo_habilis.php
http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/homo-habilis
https://anthromuseum.missouri.edu/exhibit/oldowan-and-acheulean-stone-tools