Human Evolution Short Note | Evolution Class 12 Notes

In this article we will discuss about Human Evolution :- 1.Apes 2.  Ape man 3. Primitive man and 4. Modern man

• Humans are evolved by gradual evolution
• Human originated in east Africa
• Human evolution started 15 mya

CHANGES OCCURRED IN HUMAN EVOLUTION

• Left the arboreal life
• Development of erect posture
• Bipedal locomotion
• Increase in the size of brain
• Development of intelligence
• Use of for limbs for on locomotory function

STAGES IN ORIGIN OF MAN

1. Apes
2. Ape man
3. Primitive man
4. Modern man

1. APES

• 15 mya, primates called dryopithecus and ramapithecus were existing

DRYOPITHECUS

• Fossils of dryopithecus discovered by LSB Leaky in 1930
• Dryopithecus is considered as ancestors of modern day apes
• They had semi erect posture, thick hair, larger and sharper teeth and vegetarian
• They were forest dwellers and spent most of time on trees

RAMAPITHECUS

• Fossils discovered from shivalik hills in India
• Rampithecus is considered as ancestors of man
• They had man like dentition & spent most of time on land

2. APE MAN

• This stage is intermediate between apes and men
• Australopithecus was an ape-man because it combined may characters of ape and man
• It is 2-5 million years old

AUSTRALOPITHECUS

• It was discovered by Prof. Raywond Dart
• Australopithecus probably lived in East African grasslands
• They hunted with stone weapons but essentially ate fruit
• They were 4 feet tall and weighed 60-80 pounds
• It is considered as missing link between apes and man

3. PRIMITIVE MAN

• Man originated about 5 mya
• They are connecting link between australopthecus and modern man
• Mostly lived in caves and used fire
• They developed speech and buried dead bodies
• Some important primitive men

i) HOMO HABILIS

• First human like being
• First known tool maker
• They did not eat meat
• Brain capacities were between 650-800cc
• Fossils were discovered by Dr. Leakey from rocks in Africa

ii) HOMO ERECTUS

• Homo erectus was the first true man
• They had large brain with cranial cavity around 900CC
• Many subspecies are discovered of Homo erectus as given below

a) JAVA MAN (HOMO ERECTUS ERECTUS)

• Fossils was discovered in Java in 1891
• They used fire for hunting, Protection and cooking
• They used tools of bones and stones
• Cranial capacity was 800-1000CC

b) PEAKING MAN (HOMO ERECTUS PEKINENSIS)

• W.C. Pei discovered the fossils from china
• Cranial capacity was 850-1300CC

4. MODERN MAN

• Modern man include all the existing men and also some extinct men
• They appeared 3 mya
• Modern man originated in Asia around Caspian sea
• Many subspecies are discovered of homo sapians

i) NEANDERTHAL MAN (HOMO SAPIENS NEANDERTHALENSIS)

• They lived east and central Asia
• Fossil was discovered by Fulhrott in Neanderthal valley of Germany
• They has brain size of 1400CC
• Developed speech

ii) CRO-MAGNON (HOMO SAPIENS FOSSILIS)

• Cro-Magnon man was first extinct modern man
• Fossils discovered by Mac Gregor from Cro-Magnon rocks of France
• He become extinct 20000 Years ago
• They had cranial capacity of 1650CC
• They wore clothes of animal skin
• Domestication was stared by this man
• They also painted beautiful painting on cave walls

iii) MODERN MAN (HOMO SAPIENS SAPIENS)

• Arose 75000-10000 years ago
• This is the man of today having brain capacity of 1300-1600CC
• This man has well developed chin, speech, smaller head and reduced body hair
• Agriculture was started around 10000 Years back and human settlements stared