What is the purpose of the C P3 honing complex?

C/P3 honing complex: Refers to the arrangement of the upper canine and lower third premolar that allows the back edge of the upper canine to be sharpened or honed against the front edge of the lower premolar.

Why is Sahelanthropus tchadensis important in understanding evolution?

tchadensis has numerous derived hominin features and is therefore the oldest known human ancestor after the split of the human line from that of the chimpanzees. If the remains are from a direct human ancestor, then the status of the australopithecine group as human ancestors is questioned.

Do humans have honing canines?

We do not use our premolars to sharpen the canines. Rather, we use our premolars to help us grind foods. Because the main function of teeth is to chew foods, a change in diet would have affected the size and shape of the teeth.

Why did our ancestors honing canine disappear?

Why did our ancestors’ honing canine disappear? They developed the ability to make and use tools for processing food. Explanation: Evidence for very early tool use coincides with the gradual loss of the honing canine. Tools would have made it much easier to process tough leaves and hard nuts.

Why do humans have small molars?

“It’s always been presumed that sometime in early Homo, we started using more advanced tools,” Evans told Live Science. “Tool use meant we didn’t need as big teeth and jaws as earlier hominins. This may then have increased evolutionary pressure to spend less energy developing teeth, making our teeth smaller.”

What is the significance of the Sahelanthropus tchadensis fossil particularly to our understanding of the evolution of bipedalism?

Before 2001, early humans in Africa had only been found in the Great Rift Valley in East Africa and sites in South Africa, so the discovery of Sahelanthropus fossils in West-Central Africa shows that the earliest humans were more widely distributed than previously thought.

What evidence is used to indicate that Sahelanthropus tchadensis may have been a hominin?

Although very primitive, the skull, jaw and teeth displayed some hominid-like traits. For instance, the species had a relatively flat face instead of a protruding muzzle like a chimp. And the tip of the canine tooth was worn down, as it is in humans.

Why do Brachiators have long arms?

Brachiators use their arms to move from tree branch to tree branch, through a process called brachiation. Their arms are longer than their legs, and are much more powerful.