 The
first major changes made by hominids to the present human condition are
believed to be the adoption of an erect posture and bipedal locomotion.
It is inferred that the earliest australopithecines lived in forests. This
inference is made based on the animal and plant remains associated with
the fossils. The old hypothesis that an erect posture was adopted
to allow the hominids to peer over long grasses to watch for predators
is deemed less likely than the possibility that it was the freeing of the
arms which was the great benefit of bipedalism. |
 |
||
| Bipedalism enabled the hominid to carry food back
to his or her family. Chimpanzees share this behaviour. They
share food amongst a complex social structure.
|
Chimpanzees are also known to make and use an array of
crude tools. Such tools include stone and wooden hammers. They
make use of these tools for cracking nuts and twigs.
Authorities believe that the advantages of using
a greater variety of tools selected for greater intelligence and brain
size in the hominid lineage.
|
