Question

Write evolutionary history of modern man.

Answer 1

1. The family to which human beings belong is called Hominidae. It was in the Miocene age that the family Hominidae split from the Pongidae (apes) family. 
2. Dryopethicus was the first in the evolution of man in the stages of evolution, and some believe him to be the common ancestor of man and apes.
3. Around 2.5 million years later, the Ardipithecus ramidus, which could both live on trees and walk about on land, roamed the earth. 
4. Further evolution took place over the next 1.5 million years, which brought forth the Australopithecus afarensis. 
5. Another half million years later, came the Homo Habilis, the Homo Erectus and the Homo Heidelbergensis.
6. The modern man or Homo Sapiens are thought to have evolved about 2-3 million years ago in Africa.

The evolutionary history of modern man is as follows:

Year	Evolution
15 million years ago	Dryopithecus (ape-like) and Ramapithecus (man-like)
3-4 million years ago	Man-like primates
2 million years ago	Australopithecines, also called Homo habilis, lived in East Africa
1.5 million years ago	Homo erectus  A
1,000-40,000 years ago	Neanderthal man
75,000-10,000 years ago	Homo sapiens

Answer 2

1. Human ancestors developed from animals that resembled lemur-like animals.
2. Around 7 crore years ago, monkey-like animals evolved from some of these lemur-like animals.
3. Then, after about 4 crore years ago, in Africa the tails of these monkey-like creatures very gradually disappeared.
4. Simultaneously, there was an enlargement in their body and brain volume, too. The hands also improved and were provided with opposable thumbs. In this way, ape-like animals evolved.
5. These ape-like animals independently gave rise to two lines of evolution, one giving rise to apes like the gibbon and the orangutan in South and North-East Asia and the gorilla and the chimpanzee, which stayed in Africa around 2.5 crore years ago.
6. The other line of evolution gave rise to human-like animals around 2 crore years ago.
7. The climate became dry, and this resulted in a reduction of forest cover. This made arboreal apes descend onto the land and start a terrestrial mode.
8. Due to this, there were changes in the pelvic girdle and vertebral column. The hands were also freed from locomotion, and thus they became more manipulative.