U4 AOS2 Topic 9: Human Features

The species name for us modern humans is Homo sapiens.

Taxon (pl. taxa) is a group into which related organisms are classified; these are arranged in an order from kingdom down to the species.

Human beings (Homo sapiens) are primates that belong to the family Hominidae and genus Homo, which means we are also mammals as primates are under the mammalian class.

Mammals are warm blooded organisms that belong to the mammalia class, and they have a few characteristics in common like, mammary glands, hair, three middle ear bones, and one lower jawbone.

Primates the highest order of mammals that consist of about 400 different living species.

Hominoids are members of the superfamily Hominoidea that include apes and humans.

Hominins are members of the taxonomic tribe Hominini that includes modern humans and our ancestors.

Mammals

Humans are mammals and we are one of the 5400 animals that belong to the class mammalia, and we share a few characteristics, such as a variety of teeth like incisors, canines, premolars and molars, we have a lower jawbone, mammary glands that produce milk, hair or fur, and three middle ear bones.

Primates within the class mammalia humans are classified into primates which includes 400 mammals. They have a few characteristics such as 3D vision with forward facing eyes, a large number of touch receptors, a large cranium, flexible spines, and prehensile hands consisting of five digits each with one opposable digit like thumb and toes.

Cranium the part of the skull that covers the brain

Prehensile the ability to grasp objects

Precision grip: a type of grip involving the tips of the thumb and finger, used by primates.

Power grip: a type of grip involving the palm and the fingers, used by primates.

Hominoids within primates humans are classified further into the superfamily Hominoidea, species that belong to this family are called apes, and include, great apes like gorillas and humans and lesser apes that include different species of gibbons, the key characteristics shared by hominoids are shorter spine between the rib cage and pelvis, broader rib cage and pelvis, lack of tail, distinctive molar teeth in the lower jaw, and typically have longer arms than legs except for humans.

Hominins is the point where humans are separated form all the other animals in the animal kingdom, the key characteristic of the hominins is bipedalism which means using two legs for walking upright.

Canine teeth a type of tooth in mammals that is relatively long and pointed.

Foramen magnum the hole in the base of the skull, the spinal cord passes through this hole.