homo erectus (also known as homo ergaster) is hominid species which appeared 1.8 million years ago and went into extinction approximately 300,000 years ago.
From Latin, the meaning of homo erectus é "straight man", this is because, according to the fossils found, this species moved with an erect spine, similar to human beings.
There are still some disagreements about the hypothesis of homo erectus be the predecessor of homo sapiens, as some scientists believe that both species may have coexisted for a certain period of time.
At physical characteristics of homo erectus were closer to the homo sapiens than of its "predecessor", the homo habilis. With a height ranging between 1.30 and 1.70 meters, weighing approximately 55 to 70 kilos, and with a cranial size of 700 to 1200 cubic centimeters (up to 50% larger than the H. skills), O homo erectus it had a bone structure much more robust than that of contemporary man.
THE feeding the homo erectusit was based on fruits, leaves, roots and animals. This species already manufactured tools made of chipped stone and wood to be able to hunt, in addition to having mastery of fire.
According to paleontologists, the homo erectus they would have been the first to begin the process of migration from the African continent to other regions of the world, as their fossils have already been found in Europe and Asia.
The discovery of homo erectus was made by dutch Eugene Dubois (1858 – 1940), in 1891, on the island of Java, Indonesia. The most complete fossil of this species is known as “Turkana boy”, discovered in northern Kenya.
Features of homo erectus
- First to use fire to cook their food (the meat) and scare away wild animals;
- They didn't practice agriculture. They fed by hunting and gathering fruits and roots;
- They made and used objects of stone and wood;
- They mainly inhabited northeastern Africa and eastern Asia;
- Social organization was done in small communities (tribes);
- It gave rise to a large number of subspecies (Homo erectus lantianensis, Homo erectus yuanmouensis, between others).
See also: meaning of homo sapiens.
