Human Evolution Explorer

A tiny, shrew-like creature that represents one of the earliest known placental mammals — a pivotal branch point in the story of all eutherian life.

One of the earliest known primatomorphs, Purgatorius appeared at the dawn of the Cenozoic era and may represent an early branch near the origin of the primate lineage.

An early catarrhine primate from Egypt that provides a critical window into the evolutionary stage before the divergence of Old World monkeys and apes.

An early Miocene ape from East Africa that lacked a tail and possessed a combination of monkey and ape features, representing a pivotal stage in ape evolution.

One of the oldest known potential hominins, discovered in Chad, showing a mix of ape-like and human-like features that places it near the crucial split between human and chimpanzee lineages.

Known informally as 'Ardi,' this early hominin from Ethiopia challenged assumptions about human evolution by combining bipedal walking with tree-climbing adaptations.

Famous as 'Lucy's species,' Australopithecus afarensis was a committed biped with a small brain that thrived for over a million years in East Africa.

The first member of the genus Homo, Homo habilis was associated with early stone tool use and marks a pivotal transition in the human evolutionary story.

The first hominin to leave Africa and spread across much of the Old World, Homo erectus was a highly successful species with advanced tools and possibly the first use of fire.

A large-brained archaic human that lived in Africa and Europe, likely ancestral to both Neanderthals and modern humans, showing evidence of advanced hunting and possible symbolic behavior.

Anatomically modern humans who emerged in Africa around 300,000 years ago, developed complex language, art, and culture, and eventually spread to every corner of the planet.