Lap 9 worksheet

Workstation 1: Bipedalism
 
Instructions: 
Bipedalism is a hallmark of the hominins. Skeletal adaptations to bipedalism are used to identify a hominin in the fossil record. Bipedalism itself took millions of years to evolved! While the earliest hominins show skeletal adaptations to bipedalism, their modes of bipedalism were different from ours and different among each other. Our earliest ancestors show a mosaic of ancestral and derived locomotor traits. The ancestral traits are indicative of arborealism and the derived traits are indicative of bipedalism.
 

Observe the 3D models of the chimpanzee pelvis and the human pelvis below. 
Compare and contrast the two pelves. 
Bonus: What is the estimated sex of the human pelvis? How did you arrive at your answer? 

Chimpanzee

Chimpanzee Pelvis by dartmouthx on Sketchfab
 https://skfb.ly/6RCIR (click the link to observe)

                                                     VS
https://skfb.ly/HWpt  (click the link to observe)
Modern human

Human Pelvis by 3DSOM on Sketchfab
 

Observe the 3D model of the reconstructed pelvis of “Lucy” (Australopithecus afarensis) below. Half her pelvis was discovered, it was mirrored, and that is how the complete (full) pelvis was reconstructed. Lucy is ~ 3.2 mya.
Describe the overall shape of the pelvis. 
Describe two specific traits of the pelvis that lend insight into her locomotor behavior. 
Based on the two traits you described, infer the mode of locomotion in Lucy. 
https://skfb.ly/6UAIp (click the link to observe)

Lucy Pelvis Reconstruction by tomomahoney on Sketchfab

Observe the 3D models of the feet below. 
Compare and contrast the anatomy, shape, and relative size of specific parts of the gorilla foot with the modern human foot. Note: The gorilla foot is the left side and the modern human foot is the right side. Both feet are complete. The human foot 3D model is annotated. 
Compare and contrast the anatomy, shape, and relative size of specific parts of the ~4.4 million-year-old foot of Ardipithecus ramidus with the gorilla foot *and* the modern human foot. Note: The Ardipithecus ramidus foot is the left side and bones are missing. You can use the complete modern human foot to figure out which bones are missing in the fossil hominin.  
Based on your observations of the foot of Ardipithecus ramidus, infer the mode of locomotion in this sample. 

Gorilla foot 

G. g. gorilla, articulated foot (left hindlimb) by Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona on Sketchfab
https://skfb.ly/6xuRL (click the link to observe)
 
                                                    VS
 
Modern human foot 

Human foot bones by The Hive – UBC Medicine on Sketchfab

(observe a modern hand) 
                                                   VS
 
Ardipithecus ramidus foot

Ardipithecus ramidus Foot by Ed Gonzalez-Tennant on Sketchfab
https://skfb.ly/6RsJ8 (click the link observe)

Workstation 2: Earliest Hominins
 
Instructions: 

Observe the 3D model of Sahelanthropus tchadensis below. The cranium was distorted when it was recovered (that is why the face looks asymmetrical).
Describe the general/overall morphology of the cranium. 
Describe the specific morphology of two observable traits. 
Identify one trait on the skull that can be used to help you infer the mode of locomotion in this species. 

Sahelanthropus tchadensis skull by Digital Atlas of Ancient Life on Sketchfab
https://skfb.ly/6Wx6R (click the link observe)
 
 

Observe the 3D model of Ardipithecus ramidus below. The brown parts are the fossil pieces recovered and the grey parts are the missing pieces reconstructed.
Identify as many ape-like (ancestral) traits as you can.
Identify as many hominin-like (derived) traits as you can. 

Ardipithecus ramidus (2501.1rp96-1) – cranium by RLA Archaeology on Sketchfab

 
https://skfb.ly/6TWw8 (click the link to observe)
 

Workstation 3: The Australopithecines
Instructions: 

Observe the 3D model of Australopithecus afarensis below.
Identify as many ape-like (ancestral) traits as you can.
Identify as many hominin-like (derived) traits as you can. 

Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy) by Maritime Archaeology on Sketchfab
 
 

Observe the 3D model of Australopithecus africanus below.
Compare and contrast this sample with the Australopithecus afarensis sample above. How are they similar? How are they different? 

Mrs Ples (Au. africanus) by Maritime Archaeology on Sketchfab
 
 

Observe the 3D model of Paranthropus aethiopicus below.
Identify three traits that tell you this is a “robust” australopithecine. 
https://skfb.ly/6suoR (click the link to observe)

Paranthropus aethiopicus – Skull fossil by García Ávila, M. on Sketchfab
 
 

Observe the 3D model of Paranthropus robustus below.
Compare and contrast this sample with the Paranthropus aethiopicus sample above. How are they similar? How are they different? 

https://skfb.ly/6WKII  (click the link to observe)