Question

Hominids were originated during
a. Miocene
b. Pliocene
c. Oligocene
d. Paleocene

Answer 1

Hint: Humans and their close ancestors are called hominids. It also includes chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans and thus, also known as great apes. The earliest known fossils have been discovered in Southern and Eastern Africa.

Complete answer:
The first hominids probably emerged between 6-4 million years ago during the late Miocene period.
- Ramapithecus was the earliest man like Primate with incisor and canine teeth. It belonged to the Miocene period i.e. about 13 million years old in the Shivalik hills by E. Lewis. It probably had bipedal locomotion and its diet and habit were very similar to modern man.
- Dryopithecus- Its fossil was obtained by Leakey in 1930 from East Africa from early Miocene rocks.
- Australopithecus africanus was discovered by Raymond Dart with cranial capacity 450-500cc and bipedal locomotion. All fossils of this belong to the early Pleistocene period and are believed to give rise to genus Homo.
- Homo habilis evolved about 2 million years ago during the early Pleistocene period and their fossil was discovered by Leaky from East Africa. They had a cranial capacity of 680 cc and they used hands, walked straight and used chipped stone tools.

- Homo erectus evolved between 1.7 and 1.5 million years ago during the middle Pleistocene period from Homo habilis. They walked erect over long legs, had prognathous faces and used stone and bone tools. Some primitive type of speech had developed in them.

- Homo heidelbergensis was found in 1907 from Heidelberg, Germany. They had man-like teeth and ape like jaw.

- Homo neanderthalensis- Its fossil was discovered by C. Fuhlrott from the Neanderthal valley of Germany. It resembled modern man and has a cranial capacity of 1400-1450 c.c.

- Homo sapiens or the modern man developed from Cro-Magnon about 10,000 years ago after the last glacial period in the regions of Caspian and Mediterranean seas. It has a cranial capacity of 1450c.c.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A).

Note: All hominids had these three features in common- bipedalis, omnivorous feeding behavior and further brain expansion and reorganization. And it is believed that a hairless body, dome shaped head and well developed brain are some features that are still evolving in humans.