The first really human-like hoinids appeared
around 2.5-1.8 mya. These hominds are all
given the genus (group) name Homo, and
include us.

The best known examples are Homo 
Australopiths and Homo Habilis.

The first early humans were taller than
australopiths and had bigger brains.

Unlike australopiths, these hominids ate
meat. They may have been forced to eat
meat when the climate warmed up, cutting
the amount of plant food that was available.

Brains need a lot of food, and eating meat 
gave the extra nourishment that is required
for bigger brains.

Homo hibilis is known from pieces of hand
bones, a jay and a skull found in Tanzania's 
Olduvai Gorge in 1961.

Homo habilis means 'Handy Man'. He get his
name because he has a good frip for wielding 
tools- with a thumb that can be rotated to
meet the tip of a finger. This is called an
opposable thumb'.

The first homo species used stones to break 
open bones for the nourishing marrow
inside. Later sharpened stones to cut meat 
for eating and hides for maing clothing.
Experts believe that they may even have
built simple shelters to live in.

Some experts think the bulge in 'Broca's
area' of some Homo habilis skulls suggest
that they could speak in a crude way. Most
think they could not.

The first hominids in the genus Homo lived
for a million or more years alongside 
robust' (bigger) australopiths such as
Paranthropus boisei.