Hominina

Taxobox | name = Hominina

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image_caption = Skull of "Homo neanderthalensis"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Primates
superfamilia = Hominoidea
familia = Hominidae
subfamilia = Homininae
tribus = Hominini
subtribus = Hominina
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision =
*"Homo" (humans)
*"Paranthropus" (extinct)
*"Australopithecus" (extinct)
*"Sahelanthropus" (extinct)
*"Orrorin" (extinct)
*"Ardipithecus" (extinct)
*"Kenyanthropus" (extinct)The more anthropomorphic primates of the Hominini tribe are placed in the Hominina subtribe. They are characterized by the evolution of an increasingly erect bipedal locomotion. The only extant species is "Homo sapiens". Fossil records indicate this subtribe branched from the common ancestor with the chimpanzee lineage about 3 to 5 million years ago.

Taxonomy

Current evidenceFact|date=March 2008 suggests that, about 2.6 million years ago, "Australopithecus" began to diverge into two paths, on the one hand to "Paranthropus", more robust, specialized in an herbivorous diet that required a stronger jaw and molars and powerful facial muscles that required a cranial crest, much like a modern gorilla has, to unite them. The other track led to "Homo" with a relatively larger brain, more delicate teeth and jaw. Both genera existed at the same time for about a million and a half years.

This subtribe is usually considered to include "Australopithecus", "Paranthropus", "Sahelanthropus", "Orrorin", "Ardipithecus", "Kenyanthropus", and "Homo". However, the exact makeup is still under debate, as some scientists struggle to determine the order of descent in human evolution.

Description

Key features of this group involve various adaptations for living terrestrially instead of arboreally. One feature is an erect bipedal stance and the skull placed on top of the vertebral column. The feet are not prehensile unlike the rest of primates, since the first toe is built robustly and aligned with the other four. The hands have a developed opposable thumb and are quite adept at manipulating objects.

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thumb|left|400px|There_are_many_names_given_to_fossils belonging to subtribe Hominina.]