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Consider the following hominin (previously called hominid) species - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 25 - 2011 - Paper 1
Question 25
Consider the following hominin (previously called hominid) species. N Homo erectus O Homo neanderthalensis P Australopithecus africanus M Australopithecus afaren... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Consider the following hominin (previously called hominid) species - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 25 - 2011 - Paper 1
Step 1
Determine the correct order from oldest to youngest:
Answer
To determine the order of these hominin species from oldest to youngest, we can reference known timelines:
- Australopithecus afarensis (M) - This species is one of the oldest known hominins, dating back to about 3.9 to 2.9 million years ago.
- Australopithecus africanus (P) - Appeared after afarensis, approximately 3 to 2 million years ago.
- Homo erectus (N) - This species emerged around 1.9 million years ago and is considered one of the first ancestors of modern humans.
- Homo neanderthalensis (O) - Neanderthals arose more recently, around 400,000 years ago.
Hence, the correct order from oldest to youngest is MNOP (Australopithecus afarensis, Australopithecus africanus, Homo erectus, and Homo neanderthalensis). Therefore, the answer is B.