17 Facts About Homo erectus

Homo erectus had a more modern gait and body proportions, and was the first human species to have exhibited a flat face, prominent nose, and possibly sparse body hair coverage.

Homo erectus attempted unsuccessfully to convince the European scientific community that he had found an upright-walking ape-man.

Homo erectus fossils have been reported from nearby caves, but their species designation has been a tumultuous discussion.

Since its discovery in 1893, there has been a trend in palaeoanthropology of reducing the number of proposed species of Homo, to the point where H erectus includes all early forms of Homo sufficiently derived from H habilis anddistinct from early H heidelbergensis .

Homo erectus is the most long-lived species of Homo, having survived for almost two million years.

Homo erectus featured a flat face compared to earlier hominins; pronounced brow ridge; and a low, flat skull.

The fossil record indicates that H erectus was the first human species to have featured a projecting nose, which is generally thought to have evolved in response to breathing dry air in order to retain moisture.

Consequently, the authors argue that purely based on brain size similarities, Asian H erectus could be re-classified as a subspecies of H sapiens, that is H sapiens soloensis - as was suggested by earlier authors.

Dentally, H erectus have the thinnest enamel of any Plio–Pleistocene hominin.

In 2004, Noel Boaz and Russel Ciochon suggested it was a result of a cultural practice, wherein H erectus would fight each other with fists, stones, or clubs to settle disputes or battle for mates, since the skull is reinforced in key areas.

However, dispersal patterns indicate that H erectus generally avoided areas with high carnivore density.

Dentally, H erectus mouths were not as versatile as those of ancestor species, capable of processing a narrower range of foods.

Homo erectus is credited as the first human ancestor to have used fire, though the timing of this invention is debated mainly because campfires very rarely and very poorly preserve over long periods of time, let alone thousands or millions of years.

Seafaring capability would show H erectus had a great capacity for planning, likely months in advance of the trip.

Homo erectus was the earliest human to have intentionally collected red-colored pigments, namely ochre, recorded as early as the Middle Pleistocene.

Homo erectus believed that the inhabitants were headhunters, and smashed open the skulls and ate the brains of their victims.

Neurologically, all Homo have similarly configured brains, and, likewise, the Broca's and Wernicke's areas of H erectus were comparable to those of modern humans.