Cranium C belongs to the Australopithecus anamensis species, the earliest of all the species mentioned below to exist. The remains of this species were located in the Eastern Turkana part of modern Kenya (Bali, 1994). Some of the remains that were found include teeth, jaws, humerus and the tibia. It had a body size ranging from 45 kilograms to 60 kilograms and it was known to be very dimorphic. It dates to around 3.1 million years ago. Inside the mouth of this species there were large canine teeth which had a thick layer of enamel. This species was also known to have powerful ability to climb trees and was bipedal. The ankles were less flexible and the toes were bigger compared to those of a chimp. The species mostly lived in the woodland fauna, savanna regions of East Africa and the riverine floodplain. During its existence, the species is said to have dwelt so much on roots as its food.
Cranium F is Australopithecus sebida which dates back to 3 million years in history. Research has indicated that this species had a locomotion patterns which resemble those of other human species (Stringer, 1990). Its skull contained molars and premolars that were relatively small and its facial characteristics are more like those belonging to the Homo. Like Australopithecus anamensis, the upper limbs of this species are known to be elongated which helped it to locomote easily and climb trees. The species mostly lived in caves and bushy areas where it used to hide during heavy tropical rains.
Cranium D belongs to the Australopithecus boisei class which existed around 2.2 million years in history. One feature associated with this species is that it was able to make stones. This was a great development which never occurred in the lifespan of earlier species. It had a more vertical head which made it appear different from other species. The size of its canine and post-canine teeth had increased compared to earlier species (Paul, 1980). Its cranial base also has an increased inflection, a feature that was not noted in other crania. Its skull had strong muscles which made it adapted to chewing roots and other substances. The size of its skull and cheeks was bigger contributing much to its ability to chew. The enamel was also discovered to be thicker compared to that of Australopithecus anamensis.
Crunium E belonged to a class of species called Homo heidelbergensis which was found to possess some similar features with Homo erectus and Homo sapiens. The brain of this species was large and can be compared to that of Homo sapiens (Bali, 1994). This species mostly lived in very cold environment and its body was adapted to this environment. It had short height and wide body which enabled it to conserve heat. Hunting large animals was among the activities of this species. The species lacked a chin and was heavily built. This species weight approximately 62 kilograms for males and 51kilograms for females. It was a more developed species resembling the modern man with well-developed limbs. The species is known to have existed around 600000 years ago.
Cranium B belongs to a species called Homo neanderthalensis which appeared in the record of fossils around 400000 years in history. This species had a short body in size which was well adapted to the climatic conditions of the winter. It had very strong lower arms which were stronger than those of the modern day man (Stringer, 1990). Its body was able to generate more heat due to the fur it had which was more than that of the modern man. This feature made its life easy during cold seasons which were accompanied by ice. The female species was known to have a slightly shorter body compared to that of the male species. The species recognized and used tools, could control fire, hunted animals, stayed in shelters and ate plant fruits. It had a developed brain compared to that of Australopithecus boisei.
Cranium A is Homo erectus. One of the characteristics of this cranium is that it had an advanced size of brain which was not very far from that of the modern day man. Homo erectus was also known to possess fleshy nose that was wide in size (Paul, 1980). Another morphological feature is that its skull possessed ridges with a flat face. The arms of this species were basically short diminishing its ability to climb trees and jump in a more flexible way using the front arms. It had elongated legs which helped it to run and walk towards Asia in the process of migration. This species could walk upright like the modern man. The size of Homo erectus is said to be close to that of modern man and, therefore, it is said that this species can be compared to modern man in terms of size. According to research, this species existed around 150000 years in the past.
References
Bali, R. S. (1994). Anthropology of crease morphogenesis: A scientific analysis. New Delhi: Concept Pub. Co.
Stringer, C. B. (1990). The emergence of modern humans. Scientific American, 263(6), 98-104.
Paul, C. R. C. (1980). The natural history of fossils. Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
