Homo ergaster Fossil range: Pleistocene
KNM ER 3733 represents a mature female
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Hominidae Tribe: Hominini Genus: Homo Species: H. ergaster
Binomial name
†Homo ergaster Groves & Mazak, 1975

Homo ergaster ("working man") is an extinct hominid species (or subspecies, according to some authorities) which lived throughout eastern and southern Africa between 1.9 to 1.4 million years ago with the advent of the lower Pleistocene and the cooling of the global climate. The Pleistocene epoch (IPA: ) is part of the geologic timescale. ... Image File history File links KNM_ER_3733. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Animalia redirects here. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Subclasses Subclass Allotheria* Order Docodonta (extinct) Order Multituberculata (extinct) Order Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Order Triconodonta (extinct) Order Volaticotheria (extinct) Subclass Prototheria Order Monotremata Subclass Theria Infraclass Trituberculata (extinct) Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in females for the nourishment of... For the ecclesiastical use of this term, see primate (religion) Families 13, See classification A primate is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all lemurs, monkeys, and apes, including humans. ... Genera The hominids are the members of the biological family Hominidae (the great apes), which includes humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. ... Genera Subtribe Panina Pan (chimpanzees) Subtribe Hominina Homo (humans) †Paranthropus †Australopithecus †Sahelanthropus †Orrorin †Ardipithecus †Kenyanthropus For an explanation of very similar terms see Hominid Hominini is the tribe of Homininae that only includes humans (Homo), chimpanzees (Pan), and their extinct ancestors. ... Species Homo sapiens See text for extinct species. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Dr Colin Groves is a Professor of Biological Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... A hominid is any member of the biological family Hominidae (the great apes), including the extinct and extant humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. ... In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... The Pleistocene epoch (IPA: ) is part of the geologic timescale. ...

H. ergaster is sometimes categorized as a subspecies of Homo erectus. It is currently somewhat controversial whether H. ergaster or the later, Asian H. erectus was the direct ancestor of modern humans. The genetic variability among modern Homo sapiens is greatest in Africa, which suggests strongly that this is the area where the species arose and has had most time to accumulate variation. H. ergaster may be distinguished from H. erectus by its thinner skull bones and lack of an obvious sulcus. Derived features include reduced sexual dimorphism; a smaller, more orthognathic face; a smaller dental arcade; and a larger (700 and 850cc) cranial capacity. It is estimated that H. ergaster stood at 1.9m (6ft3) tall with relatively less sexual dimorphism in comparison to earlier hominins. Remains have been found in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Africa. In zoology, as in other branches of biology, subspecies is the rank immediately subordinate to a species. ... Binomial name †Homo erectus (Dubois, 1892) Synonyms † Pithecanthropus erectus † Sinanthropus pekinensis † Javanthropus soloensis † Meganthropus paleojavanicus Homo erectus (Latin: upright man) is an extinct species of the genus Homo. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... Homo sapiens (Latin: wise man) is the scientific name for the human species. ... A sulcus (pl. ... Female (left) and male Common Pheasant, illustrating the dramatic difference in both color and size between the sexes Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species. ... A cubic centimetre (cm3) is an SI derived unit of volume, equal to the volume of a cube with side length of 1 centi metre. ... Cranial capacity is a measure of the volume of the interior of the cranium (also called the braincase or brainpan) of those animals who have both a brain and a cranium. ... Genera Gorilla Pan (chimpanzees) Homo (humans) Paranthropus (extinct) Australopithecus (extinct) Sahelanthropus (extinct) Ardipithecus (extinct) Kenyanthropus (extinct) Homininae is a subfamily of Hominidae, including Homo sapiens and some extinct relatives, as well as the gorillas and the chimpanzees. ...

The most complete Homo ergaster skeleton ever discovered was made at Lake Turkana, Kenya in 1984. Paleanthropologists Richard Leakey, Kamoya Kimeu and Tim White dubbed the 1.6 million year old specimen as KNM-WT 15000 (nicknamed "Turkana Boy"). 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In 1977, Leaky sat next to the rare Half Monkey Half Man, who took a bite out of him, and made Leaky cry. ... Kamoya Kimeu, (born c. ... Tim White (born August 24, 1950 in Los Angeles, California) is an American anthropologist. ... Turkana Boy or Nariokotome Boy is the designation given to fossil KNM-WT 15000[1], a nearly complete skeleton of an 11- or 12-year-old hominid boy who died 1. ...

The type specimen of H. ergaster is KNM ER 992^[1]; the species was named by Groves and Mazak in 1975. Type specimens When a new species is discovered, more important than creating a new and unique name for the species is developing a reasonably detailed description. ... KNM ER 992 is a fossilized lower jaw from the species Homo ergaster. ... Dr Colin Groves is a Professor of Biological Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

The species name originates from the Greek ergaster meaning "Workman". This name was chosen due to the discovery of various tools such as hand-axes and cleavers near the skeletal remains of H. ergaster. This is one of the reasons that it is sometimes set apart distinctly from other human ancestors. Its use of advanced (rather than simple) tools was unique to this species; H. ergaster tool use belongs to the Acheulean industry. H. ergaster first began using these tools 1.6 million years ago. Charred animal bones in fossil deposits and traces of camps suggest that the species made creative use of fire. A hand axe is a bifacial Paleolithic core tool. ... The word cleaver has a number of uses: Cleaver (knife) is a large form of knife. ... Acheulean hand-axes from Kent. ... A forest fire Fire is a rapid oxidation process that creates light, heat, smoke, and releases energy in varying intensities. ...

Notable fossils

• KNM ER 3733
• Turkana boy - also classified as Homo erectus
• KNM ER 992

Dr. Benard Wood of George Washington University (U.S.A.) considers KNM ER 3733 as a fossilized skull of the species Homo ergaster, although some paleoanthropologists consider it to be Homo erectus. ... Turkana Boy or Nariokotome Boy is the designation given to fossil KNM-WT 15000[1], a nearly complete skeleton of an 11- or 12-year-old hominid boy who died 1. ... Binomial name †Homo erectus (Dubois, 1892) Synonyms † Pithecanthropus erectus † Sinanthropus pekinensis † Javanthropus soloensis † Meganthropus paleojavanicus Homo erectus (Latin: upright man) is an extinct species of the genus Homo. ... KNM ER 992 is a fossilized lower jaw from the species Homo ergaster. ...

See also

• List of fossil sites (with link directory)
• List of hominina (hominid) fossils (with images)
• Telanthropus capensis

List of fossil sites: // Afar Depression, Ethiopia, Pliocene Awash River, Afar Depression, Ethiopia, Australopithecus afarensis, Lucy, Pliocene, 3. ... The following charts give a brief overview of several notable fossil finds relating to human evolution. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Homo ergaster. ...

Reference

• Tattersall, Ian and Schwartz, Jeffrey. "Extinct Humans". Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado and Cumnor Hill, Oxford, 2000. ISBN 0-8133-3482-9 (hc)

External links

• Archaeology Info
• Smithsonian

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