Handy Man
Homo habilis
🤌🏻🙋🏻♂️
Chordata
Mammalia
Primates
Simiformes
Hominidae
Homo
Homo habilis
"Handy Man"
The Handy Man: Dawn of Human Ingenuity — Homo habilis marks the first clear step into human tool use and culture, bridging the gap between ape-like ancestors and later members of the human genus.
Description
Homo habilis lived roughly between 2.4 and 1.4 million years ago, and its name means “handy man,” from the Latin habilis for “skillful.” This early human species displayed a mix of primitive traits—long arms, a partially curved hand structure—and modern ones, including a larger brain (around 600–700 cubic centimeters). It is most famous for its association with the earliest known stone tools: the Oldowan industry, flakes and choppers used to butcher carcasses or crack open marrow-rich bones. Its emergence marks a leap in cognitive complexity, diet diversification, and ecological adaptation.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
55
1
1.3
1.3
kg
m
m
m
Omnivore Scavenger Forager
Hunt History
Homo habilis likely scavenged carcasses left by predators, using sharp-edged stones to extract marrow and fat. Though not a specialized hunter, habilis probably opportunistically trapped or clubbed small prey. Evidence from cut marks on fossil bones at Olduvai Gorge suggests habilis competed with large carnivores for access to meat—a precarious but pivotal stage in human dietary evolution.
Archaeological Context:
Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania (~1.9 million years ago): Butchery marks on large mammal bones alongside Oldowan tools.
Koobi Fora, Kenya (~1.8 million years ago): Stone tool sites with hominin cranial remains.
Sterkfontein, South Africa (~2 million years ago): Possible habilis-like remains among early tool assemblages.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Globally Extinct
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
1400000
BP
2.4 to 1.4 million years ago
Africa
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
20
Est. Renderable Fat
10
kg
Targeted Organs
Marrow, brain, backfat
Adipose Depots
Mesenteric, perirenal, subcutaneous
Preferred Cuts
Buttocks
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
3