Also included in the aforementioned powerpoint presentation that I did was a generalized overview of the hominid diet across the ages. Instead of parsing through the really long post on that, this will be a good review - and contains a bit more temporal data and tool use:
- Primates – folivorous, frugivorous, insectivores, exudates
- Australopithecines – 2-4 mya – Similar to primates – bipedal – more humanlike teeth – no evidence of tools- Robustus/bosei- started to include more roots/nuts/seeds/harder to chew foods
- Homo Habilis – 2.3 mya -first to include scavenged meats/eggs in diet – leap in brain size from Robustus/bosei – tool use – flakes and chopping tools
- Homo Erectus – first species to leave Africa- 2 mya – much more advanced tool use – use of fire – evidence of cannibalism – potentially hunted small animals
- Homo Heidelbergensis – descendent of erectus – first hominid to truly hunt large game – brain size getting close to humans – improved tools and subsistence techniques
- Homo Neanderthalensis – 200,000 years ago until 30,000 years ago – burial – shelter – hunted bears/mammoths/mastodons – controlled use of fire – clothing – larger brain cc than modern humans – distinct skeletal morphology – very high bmr, originally thought to have all meat diet – new evidence points to cooked plant/starchy foods, as well foods with bitter taste
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