Homo habilis
Also called: Handy man · Topic: Prehistory: Human Origins and Stone Age Cultures · NCERT: Class 9, Ch 4 "Early Humans and Beginning of Civilisation"
Meaning
Homo habilis means "handy man". It was an early human species that lived in East Africa. It got its name because it made stone tools. Its tools were simple choppers, which are rough stones with a sharp edge knocked off on one side. It shows that tool-making, the defining trait of hominins (members of the human family), began very early in Africa.
Example
Remains of Homo habilis and its chopper tools have been found at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania and at sites in Kenya.
Don't confuse with
- Homo erectus: Homo erectus came after Homo habilis. It made more advanced handaxes and cleavers and was the first hominin to leave Africa. Homo habilis is known only from Africa.